Acclimitization advice for 6000M peaks
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This summer I will be in Ecuador on a guided climb of Cayumbe, Antisana, and Chimborozo. I have had some bad experiences with AMS in the past at much lower altitudes so I am looking to mitigate some of that risk. I will share my experience and the acclimization built into the trip. Ultimately, my question is whether it would be worthwhile to spend a couple days in Leadville, CO (~10,000 ft ASL) and fly directly to Ecuador from Denver…or maybe this won’t be very helpful.
Past Experience:
Rainier – Slept in town at 1700ft. night before. Day 1 was 4.4mi from 5400ft to 10000ft at Camp Muir. Slammed with AMS; miserable evening & night like I had the flu; no sleep, thought I could not continue but made miraculous recovery at sunrise and completed Day 2 and Summit day with minor symptoms.
Gannett Peak – Slept in town at 5300ft. night before. Day 1 drive to trailhead at ~9500ft, crested 11,500ft pass, slept at 10,500ft. Felt some AMS symptoms (headache, nause). Day 2 was pretty easy day by the numbers but felt like death – slept at 10,900ft. Barely slept, thought I could not continue. Some improvement by sunrise…enough to get walking. Felt better after 1-2 hours and had a super strong summit day.
I’m concerned because 10,000 feet is not usually where people talk about AMS problems. What I am doing different for these 19K peaks:
* Focusing on improving aerobic fitness…suspect low AeT/ADS was a contributing factor
* Taking Diamox
* Stay hydrated, eat, take ibuprofen
* AcclimizationThe trip itinerary has acclimization built-in:
* First 4 nights spent at 9100ft in Quito during which time two acclimization hikes take us up to 13K ft and 15K ft.
* Next 2 night spent at 15K ft. w/ light activity
* Summit first 19K peak…itinerary continues from hereMy question to those with more high-altitude experience is whether spending 2-3 days prior to the trip at 10,000 ft in Colorado might make any material difference in my acclimitization to (a) enjoy my time in Ecuador, and (b) increase my chances of success on first summit attempt on Day 7? Or, any other advice?
Jim
Jim,
I feel like you’re approaching this in the right way. Two thumbs up for aerobic fitness and diamox given your history. 10k’ catches a lot more folks than you would think given how little you read about it. The number of skiers that develop full blown AMS in Breckenridge/Telluride etc every year is huge. The “pre acclimatization” days in Leadville is a double edged sword of course and I am not sure 3 days is worth it. You may likely see some benefit but also will be more fatigued (especially with extra flying/driving) and may lose a bit in transit. With 4 nights in Quito I would think you would be able to acclimate appropriately and be set up for success (especially with some Diamox usage). I’ve seen the best results with folks being able to spend 7-10 days minimum at elevation so they can really adjust and get over the initial “fatigue hump” that seem to be worst from days 2-4. Of course thats not realistic for a lot of climbers as we have lives to lead outside of acclimatization.
This study although dealing w lower altitudes is a good reference and would indicate 7-14 days is of course optimal which mirrors my my subjective experience w athletes. Days 2 – 7 can kind of go either way.
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