Altitude

From: Mike Sojka

Jan brings up a good point about altitude. I have learned through three Mt Shasta climbs that when exerting a big effort around 12,500' I start to get a headache. If I don't take something like excedrin right away the headache and altitude start to make me feel nauseous. 

When going up ski lifts in Colorado this winter, I did not have any problems even though at A-Basin i was up at 13,000' but I was not working to get there but sitting on a lift. Exertion really changes the game.  

And, if you puke the rule is you have to go down in elevation or you are taking a big risk.  By keeping hydrated, metering you effort, and taking a pain killer that you know works for you at the first sign of a headache, a person can minimize the likelihood of having an issue. 

Getting acclimated with an early arrival and doing at least one hard ride to test yourself beforehand should both get your body ready for altitude and let you know ahead of the trip how susceptible to altitude induced issues your body is at that time. In general, I think people have certain altitude sensitivities that remain fairly constant, but, there are no guarantees. The vast majority of people have no problems but taking precautions is fairly easy.  

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