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Every year, due to the lack of high-altitude acclimatization, people die in the world and we strongly recommend that you read the article to the end, it will take quite a bit of time.
Despite the fact that the route of climbing Lenin Peak is not technically difficult, in the presence of such factors as the weather (and it can be completely unpredictable in Pamir) and the height, which plays an important role, you need to be very careful. A successful expedition requires good physical preparation, equipment and, of course, competent acclimatization, especially for those who do not have experience in high-altitude ascents.
Altitude sickness (altitude hypoxia) is a painful condition associated with oxygen starvation due to a decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen in the inhaled air, which occurs high in the mountains, starting from about 2000 meters and above.
A variation of altitude sickness is mountain sickness, in the occurrence of which, along with a lack of oxygen, such additional factors as physical fatigue, cooling, dehydration, ultraviolet radiation, severe weather conditions (hurricane winds, etc.), and sudden changes in temperature in during the day (from +30 °С during the day to -20 °С at night), etc. But the main pathological factor of mountain sickness is hypoxia.
Altitude classification and characteristic physiological changes
· Intermediate heights (1500-2500 m.): Physiological changes are noticeable. Saturation (saturation) of blood with oxygen> 90% (normal). The likelihood of altitude sickness is low.
High altitudes (2500-3500 m): altitude sickness develops with a rapid ascent.
· Very high altitudes (3500-5800 m): altitude sickness develops frequently. Saturation (saturation) of blood with oxygen < 90%. Significant hypoxemia (decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the blood) during exercise.
· Extreme altitudes (> 5800 m.): Severe hypoxemia at rest. Progressive deterioration despite maximum acclimatization. Permanent presence at such heights is impossible.
The altitude at which altitude sickness develops varies due to the influence of numerous factors, both individual and climatic.
The following individual factors influence the development of mountain sickness:
· individual resistance of people to lack of oxygen (for example, among mountain dwellers);
· gender (women tolerate hypoxia better);
· age (young people do not tolerate hypoxia);
· physical, mental and moral condition;
· the level of fitness;
· speed of climb;
· the degree and duration of oxygen starvation;
· the intensity of muscle effort;
· past “high-altitude” experience.
The following factors provoke the development of altitude sickness and reduce the tolerance for high altitudes:
· the presence of alcohol or caffeine in the blood;
· insomnia, overwork;
· psycho-emotional stress;
· hypothermia;
· poor quality and irrational nutrition;
· violation of the water-salt regime, dehydration;
· overweight;
· respiratory and other chronic diseases (for example, tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, chronic purulent dental diseases);
· blood loss.
The following climatic factors contribute to the development and faster progression of mountain sickness:
· low temperatures – with an increase in altitude, the average annual air temperature gradually decreases by 0.5 ° C for every 100 m (in winter – by 0.4 ° C, in summer – by 0.6 ° C). In winter, at equal altitudes, the incidence is more frequent than in summer. A sharp temperature drop also has an adverse effect;
· humidity – at high altitudes, due to low temperatures, the partial pressure of water vapor is low. At an altitude of 2000 m, the air humidity is two times less than at sea level, and at high mountain altitudes the air becomes almost dry. On the one hand, this leads to an increase in the loss of fluid by the body through the skin and lungs and, consequently, to dehydration of the body. On the other hand, more humid air has a higher thermal conductivity, therefore, contributes to the harmful effects of low temperatures. Thus, manifestations of mountain sickness in the mountains of a humid climate occur at a lower altitude (Alps – 2500 m, Caucasus – 3000 m) than in the mountains of a dry climate (Tien Shan – 3500 m, Himalayas – 4500 m);
· wind – high in the mountains, the wind can reach hurricane force (over 200 km / h), which supercools the body, exhausts physically and mentally, makes it difficult to breathe.
Therefore, we highly recommend that you treat altitude sickness and acclimatization very carefully and listen to the recommendations of our camp staff and guides.