Are you going on a trip to the Rocky Mountains? If you're planning a trip, hike or ski vacation in the Rocky Mountains, no doubt you want to be aware of the challenges of altitude sickness. The good news, there is something you can do about it. Being a Colorado-based company, home of some of biggest mountains in the US, we have three tips to prevent or avoid the consequences of rocky mountains altitude sickness.
Rocky Mountains altitude varies greatly by location and state or providence.
The highest peaks rise up to 14,439′ feet (4,401 m) above sea level, such as with Mount Elbert in Colorado. The lowest points are in the valleys and basins of the mountain chain, and destinations such as Banff which is at 4,537 feet (1,383 m) in altitude.
Rocky Mountain altitude is made up by some of the following peaks:
The Rocky Mountains altitude has some of the tallest peaks in North America, both in the United States and Canada. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) from the northernmost part of British Columbia and Alberta Canada, to New Mexico in the southwestern United States.
Rocky Mountains is a beautiful place to visit, so much to see, so many activities and adventures to try. But the altitude is something you need to be careful about, especially when you are visiting from sea level. It poses a unique health hazard in the form of altitude sickness.
Rock Mountains altitude sickness is caused by a lack of oxygen at high elevations, which can cause headaches, nausea and vomiting, fainting, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
Altitude sickness symptoms in the Rocky Mountains:
It's a common ailment that strikes many skiers, hikers and visitors who don't prepare themselves for the high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains. Elevations between 8,000 and 14,000 feet throughout the Rocky Mountains can cause several symptoms related to lack of oxygen in the blood stream.
Most notably, the Colorado Rocky Mountains have fifty-eight 14ers, which are mountains described as being over 14,000 feet in elevation. Some hikers describe it as mild flu-like symptoms, while others say it feels like a hangover (minus the fun from the night before).
Whether you're going to visit Vail, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Estes Park, Telluride, Aspen, or the many other destinations, it's best to be prepared on how to avoid altitude sickness.
Some people are more prone to altitude sickness than others, but you can take precautionary measures to keep yourself safe while you're visiting the Rocky Mountains. We have three tips to help you avoid Rocky Mountains altitude sickness when you're enjoying your stay in the mountains:
Here are three tips to help you avoid getting Rocky Mountains altitude sickness:
SOURCES
1. Effect of high altitude (7,620 m) exposure on glutathione
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11320641/
2. High Altitude and Free Radicals
https://www.jssm.org/hf.php?id=jssm-03-64.xml
3. The Possible Importance of Glutamine Supplementation to Mood and Cognition in Hypoxia from High Altitude
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7760805/
4. Rocky Mountains Elevation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains
5. List of mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountain_peaks_of_the_Rocky_Mountains
