Climatizing strategy

If you’re open to the pharmacological approach, I had great success with Diamox. If I remember right, it works on CO2 build-up in your blood, thereby reducing the effects of metabolic or respiratory acidosis (can’t remember which one). Somehow, that reduces the effects of altitude sickness. I get it really bad starting at about 8,000 ft, so I was really happy I was able to do the HST and speed hike/jog up Whitney without any issues. As far as natural ways, I can’t say much, as I’ve never had much luck acclimating on my own?m, even over time.

If you use Facebook I recommend you join the Altitude Acclimatization Group. They seem to understand the science and they are familiar with areas you are asking about.

It really depends a lot on the individual’s physiology and conditioning.

A couple weeks ago my son, who lives at sea level, arrived at the Whitney Portal Campground at 6 pm. He slept till 3am, then hiked to the peak of Whitney and got back to the campground at 3 pm, 12 hours and felt fine. A couple of his friends got sick and couldn’t make it to the peak.

Most people need to spend a night or two at a lower elevation (e.g., Horsehoe Meadows). Staying hydrated is important. I also live near sea level and have never had symptoms of altitude sickness. Probably “good” genes in my family.

Use your experience of the previous trip as a guide.

I have been doing a bit of research into this and found that Ibutprofen has found to be effective in preventing altitude sickness.  I was considering buying some diamox, but am going to try the ibuprofen instead.  We are planning on summiting Whitney in a few weeks, coming in from Sequoia.  I typically get altitude sickness symptoms when going up in elevation quickly, and then they go away over night.  But last time we did this trip 5 years ago I was fine until we left Guitar lake, and the on the climb up I started to feel like junk.  We spent the night on Whitney, and I still felt awful in the morning, until we got down below outpost camp.

We used Diamox in Peru…and didn’t like the side effects.  Sleeping the night before at elevation, even a few thousand feet, always seems to help.

And never overlook dehydration–often a source of the same symptoms as altitude sickness, and easy to fall into at high altitude.  Drink twice as much as you do at sea level…

when climbing Everest they acclimatize over weeks, but they’re doing a lot higher elevation so it takes longer

They hike up a few thousand feet higher, then back down and sleep overnight, then they’ll sleep the next night at that few thousand feet higher elevation

.IBUPROFEN MAY WARD OFF ALTITUDE SICKNESS .

.JMT AND ALTITUDE SICKNESS .

.I NEED HELP WITH ALTITUDE SICKNESS. PLEASE. .

Just bear in mind that the Ibuprofen dose in those studies was 600mg every 6 hours.  Any more than that and you’re getting into danger territory, you can’t take even that much if you have GERD or ulcers or every had stomach surgery, and you must stay well hydrated or risk acute renal failure.  I’d run it past your doc before taking it.

The twice a day Diamox dosing is more convenient, but it’s prescription, of course.  And it’s a sulfa drug, so you can’t use it if you have a sulfa allergy.

I just got back from my second ascent of Mt. Whitney from the west side, going from 8000′ to 14,500 in a day and a half.  Last time I did this 5 years ago I was sick as a dog the whole time I was on top, which was about 15 hours as we spent the night.  I did two things different this time.  One was to begin taking 3 ibuprofen with meals beginning the day we left Junction Meadow (~8000′).  The other was to take the climb from guitar lake to the top much more slowly.  I remember last time trying to prove how fast I could climb the hill and having my heart rate very high the whole climb.  This time I spent about 4 hours going those 5 miles and I felt great on top.  YMMV.