Entries By walter hailes
Posted by: Brent Okita, Walter Hailes, JJ Justman, Win Whittaker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Walter Hailes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Posted by: Walter Hailes
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
Adjusting to the low oxygen of high altitude environments is a natural process that we will all experience if we travel or live at high altitudes. Like all things in life, some people are better at adjusting to high altitude than others. Fortunately, there are ways that each of us can prepare at home and in the early stages of mountain travel before going to the big peaks.
We all experience the low oxygen of high altitude a little differently, but the most prominent symptoms of going to high altitude are categorized as the condition Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). AMS is composed of a group of symptoms that can present themselves after spending some time at high altitude. Symptoms of AMS include headache, fatigue, anorexia, nausea and insomnia. While the severity of these symptoms can vary, AMS does not have to end your climb but should be used as an indication that your body is struggling to acclimatize.
The most important aspect of performing well and staying healthy in the mountains under the stress of low oxygen is by being physically fit. If you have been following a rigorous training program then you are well on your way to being physically fit for your climb. Fitness cannot prevent the symptoms of AMS but if the daily physical tasks of climbing are easier due to your high fitness level, then you have more energy reserves to battle the stress of the low oxygen environment.
Proper nutrition and hydration are also important variables leading up to and during your climb. While you may avoid simple carbohydrates during daily life, at altitude simple carbohydrates are the most efficient and most preferred form of energy for your acclimatizing body. Don’t be afraid to eat those high glycemic foods while working hard at altitude!
Dehydration can certainly be detrimental to your performance and health at high altitude, but you do not need to constantly consume water. Listen to your body, specifically your thirst, it has been finely tuned over many generations to keep you hydrated.
The prescription medication acetazolamide (Diamox) can help with acclimatization to high altitude, but it is not a magic pill that will solve all your high altitude problems. Diamox has repeatedly reduced AMS symptoms and hastened acclimatization during multi-day clinical and laboratory studies. It can work and is a great tool to use if you are not acclimatizing during an expedition even though you are using a standard acclimatization schedule, but its efficacy is less known for a quick overnight summit attempt such as Mt. Rainier. Remember: all medications have side effects that you need to understand before using and Diamox will not make up for a lack of fitness when headed into the mountains.
The bottom line is make sure that your body is fit enough to handle the stress of a high altitude mountain trip, and listen to your body while you are at altitude. If you pay attention, your body will tell you what fuel you need to keep going and how well you are adjusting to the high altitude environment. Have fun and climb safe!
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Walter Hailes is a senior guide at RMI and has guided extensively in North and South America. He also works as an exercise physiologist at the University of Montana, primarily studying the human capacity to endure/excel in difficult environments including high altitude, extreme heat and cold.
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hey
Posted by: natalie on 4/27/2018 at 9:03 am
It was rally useful for me. I am going to improve the level of my mountaineering with the use of this methods.
Posted by: hossein bakhtiarzadeh on 2/27/2014 at 9:02 pm
Posted by: Linden Mallory, Walter Hailes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,200'
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Walter Hailes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Pete Van Deventer, Walter Hailes, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
It was great climbing with you all and thanks to all of our guides.
Posted by: Josh on 5/22/2013 at 7:22 pm
YAY good job daddy!!! and happy birthday!!! Keith Hutchinson!!!!!
Posted by: Nate Hutchinson on 5/19/2013 at 4:45 pm
Posted by: Brent Okita, JJ Justman, Mike King, Nick Hunt, Walter Hailes, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Thanks again to JJ and Brent as well as all the other guides for a great climb! So glad to be a member of the first summit team of the season! You guys are truly amazing and I had a wonderful experience with RMI!
Posted by: Chad Burgert on 5/16/2013 at 8:42 pm
A. Summer - Getting high, elevation-wise that is
Posted by: Mark Addams on 5/16/2013 at 7:23 am
Posted by: Kel Rossiter, Walter Hailes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Thanks, Kell and the rest of the RMI guides, for getting my boy up and back safely.
Posted by: Bryn on 7/17/2012 at 8:07 am
Congratulations to Steve, Brad and your fellow climbers. I can’t wait to hear the details at our next TEC meeting.
Posted by: Nancy Johnshoy on 7/17/2012 at 7:08 am
This was a seriously unforgettable experience! Walter, Gilbert and Sean were great!
Posted by: Matthew Smith on 7/7/2012 at 1:40 pm
Hope the weather on the glacier holds for all of you. Can’t wait to see you Pete!
Posted by: Katie on 6/9/2011 at 12:26 pm
That sucks. travel safely. you guys did great.
Posted by: Colin Talbot on 6/9/2011 at 7:38 am
What an awesome journey you have just completed. Walking by the full moon in the wee hours of the day to stand on top of the world must have been exhilarating and inspiring. Your hard work was admirable as you put your energy into reaching your goals. I bow gently in respect for all of you. Now…What’s next?
Posted by: Jan Alexander on 6/22/2013 at 5:45 pm
Outstanding pic! Can’t wait to se the videos.
Posted by: Tom Buser on 6/22/2013 at 1:25 pm
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