about at what elevation does altitude sickness start?

[McDave]

As a long-time mountaineer, there are two specific things you can do, and one general thing.

First the general thing.  Never walk so fast that you get out of breath and can't carry on a normal conversation without panting or gasping.  You might think, if I just amble along, I'm never going to get anywhere.  Well, if you rush it, you're not going to get anywhere either, and you'll get further if you take it easy.  Taking it easy might mean that on a steep uphill at 10,000', you might take one step and rest for 5-10 seconds before you take the next step; whatever it takes.  It's very difficult to recover once you get out of breath at altitude, and you waste a lot of energy.

The first specific thing is the mountaineers rest step.  I said above to amble, but there's a specific way you amble.  Your don't want to be like a slow motion film that keeps moving all the time.  If you're on that steep slope at 10,000', you take a step forward, uphill, and then you pause when your foot hits the ground and relax the muscles in your front leg, while your weight is still on your back foot.  This allows the muscles in the forward leg to rest for a moment, before you put weight back on them.  You take a little rest with every step you take, and when you take a longer rest, you shift your weight from foot to foot occasionally so each leg gets rested.  It makes a big difference in the course of a day.

The second thing is power breathing.  Whenever you feel the effects of altitude, you don't just exhale.  You blow the air out, with a puff like you were blowing out a birthday candle, which creates a backpressure in your lungs.  You do this with each breath, and you do it all day, if necessary, so long as you feel any effects of altitude.  The back pressure will enable your lungs to be able to take in as much oxygen as if you were 1,000' or so lower.

Oh, and it may be some small consolation that altitude sickness is one of the few things that seem to be less of a problem as we age.  I don't know why; maybe we just don't make as many rapid unnecessary movements as we get older.

[Bear Heart]

I have never had altitude sickness.  Almost all my adventures here go from sea level to high in the Cascades. I have also hunted in the mountains of Colorado.  It might just be my youth, 27, but I have got to believe that failure to train has a lot to do with most problems. In Colorado I had a single drink around the campfire each night.  Don't know if that makes a difference.

[sagebrush]

As Pat B. said "Drink lots of water". I watched my hunting partner get so sick he couldn't even walk once in Colorado. We live at 5500 ft. It wasn't altitude sickness, it was dehydration. He said he lost 10 pounds in one week. Gained it back in two days. I don't see how that is possible, even if it was water but that's what he said. All I know was he was so sick he couldn't put one foot in front of the other. We were about 4 miles from camp. I didn't lose any weight at all. Gary

[katie]

I got real sick at 13,500ft this summer.  I was 6 hours into doing a 14,000ft peak summit.  My husband drug me back down.  I felt better at 12,000ft and walked out fine.  I had done a 1/2 marathon the day before and a full marathon the day before that.  Both at 9,000ft.  I thought that would be enought to aclimate me.  I was wrong.  I think they wore me out! Ha.  Next time I will spend a few days messing around at 9,000ft.  Maybe camp a few nights at 11,000-12,000ft.  Then go for the 14er.  My husband did a different 14,oooft peak the next day with no problem.  I trained for 5 months, he never trained.  I beat him on the 40 mile race, but he is a mule in the mountains.
Katie

[reddogge]

It might just be my youth, 27, but I have got to believe that failure to train has a lot to do with most problems  

To a point, yes, but when it hit me I literally just stepped off of a bus and it hit me.  I didn't even have time to walk or anything or exert myself.

Kind of like some people get seasick and some don't.  I don't get seasick in any kind of weather or conditions.

[Smallwood]

i have seen people here in colorado get it when we were up at 10000 ft.
one remedy i give people that seems to work is having them eat about half a roll of rolaids.
and don't forget that you might be dehydrated, so drink water, even when you don't want to.

[straitera]

Wingnut is dead nuts on. Pulmonary Edema doesn't discriminate. It's as much to do with sudden as height differential. In shape is a priority with daily workouts and have been for decades both lifting and cardio. I even lived in Denver for awhile where I ran 16 miles once. Went elk hunting 12K feet in Colorado a few years after moving back to Texas. Flew to Denver and rented a car to the site same day. (*Yea I know but that's the point) 3 days later I was in emergency at a Houston hospital with lungs full of fluid. Expensive trip and never hunted once. JMO, be sure to climatize and take a few days to adjust while ascending. A.S. is just plain scary.

[wahoo]

1 yr back in the 70's I worked all summer at 10 to 12k ft and on the 4th of July went to the Grand. Because of time issues I hiked  down and back up in the same day, I had plenty of water was in great shape, no issues. That night while camping ,woke up vomiting and was sick for a week . I called it mountain sickness???? Is this the same stuff we are talking about ? Only with me I did the opposite. Don't know