Everything You Need to Know When Planning to Climb a Mountain

Mountaineering is an expedition where the mountaineers has to fight on two fronts simultaneously. The first is to deal with the severity of natural climatic conditions, and the other is the battle with one’s body chemistry – both of which are very important. Therefore, it is evident to understand the effects of altitude on the human body and the various diseases associated.

The genetic makeup of the human body is such that as the lice move from sea level to altitude, the effects of various changes begin to take charge. First of all, know that all of our body systems are self-propelled. Under a coherent process, the human body is self-sufficient – from the respiratory system to the blood circulation. When the system goes from pleasant to unpleasant, it means your body is going through a disorder – that is, you have fallen ill and have to control them by some external means such as medicines. 

After years of research, medical science has concluded that the human body can survive living at an altitude of fewer than 2400 meters above sea level. Because at an altitude of more than 2400 meters, various adverse effects on the human body’s autonomic system begin.

That is why a majority of the most restorative places for humans to live are located at altitudes of 2400 meters or less across the globe. Because the human body reaches a maximum altitude of 2400 meters in 24 hours, it is fine. At that altitude, it gradually starts getting sick. At an altitude of more than 2,400 meters, the first problems faced are headaches, nausea, and difficulty in breathing. The human brain can counteract this through its muscular information system, which commands all the organs to readjust or reboot themselves according to the reduction in oxygen supply. Just like in our daily life, when our income decreases, we also reduce our consumption of necessities and adjust our expenses accordingly. 

Thus, when there is a lack of oxygen at an altitude, the human body adjusts itself to the oxygen level. This ability of the human body is called acclimatization which takes about 6 hours to complete. Every 6 hours, all the systems of the human body readjust themselves. Thus, whenever you go to an altitude of more than 2400 meters, try to progress gradually. This way the acclimatization process continues successfully every 6 hours periodically. Starting at 2400 meters, this process of acclimatization prepares you to go to the next height of 3500 meters. New challenges begin at 3500 meters.

Whenever you travel to an altitude, remember that within the first 24 hours you should not reach more than 2400 meters. Reach 2400 meters and stay overnight there. In Pakistan, Murree is located at 2100 meters, Naran at 2400 meters, Shogran at 3200 meters, Lake Saif al-Muluk at 3250 meters, Hunza at 2400 meters, and Skardu at 2600 meters. That is, if you go to these places, get there and spend the night. Those who travel from Karachi or Lahore and the plains of Punjab spend the first night in Naran and do not go directly to Lake Saif al-Muluk. If you have to go beyond Naran, don’t go beyond Lulusar Lake or Jalkhad and if you have to go to Babusar Top, go and come back by evening, then nature will be fine.  

Very High-Altitude Zone

The next high-altitude zone is the Very High-Altitude Zone that ranges from 3500 meters above sea level to 5500 meters or according to some researchers up to 5800 meters. Only 99% of climbers indeed enter this zone because most of the alpine lakes are located at an altitude of fewer than 5000 meters. Therefore, lake trekkers often return at an altitude of fewer than 5,000 meters, thus avoiding the negative effects of altitude. So, if you are a climber and are on a technical or non-technical mountaineering adventure, you need to be very careful in this zone. According to the worldwide standard operating procedure of mountaineering, as soon as you enter the Very High-Altitude Zone, you should adopt the universal principle of “Climb High, Sleep Low”, according to which you will be able to climb at any height throughout the day. Come down 300 meters and spend the night. That is, if you have started at 3500 meters during the day and reached an altitude of 4100 meters, then come to 3800 meters to sleep.

If you do, your body will be protected from altitude sickness. In mountaineering language, this is called acclimatization rotation. By the way, in this zone, it is usually enough to reach an altitude of 700-600 meters in a day. However, if your fitness is very good, you can climb even higher, but to spend the night you have to go down 300 meters in any case. Come so that the 6-hour rotation of acclimatization is completed and you are refreshed the next day and fit for more climbing. People living in the Himalayas, Karakoram, and the Hindukush can reach higher altitudes in one day, but for mountaineers in the plains of Punjab and Pakistan, it would be better not to climb more than 600 meters in one day. Do it and come down 300 meters to spend the night so that the rotation of acclimatization is completed in a better way.

In this zone, keep this series up to 5500 meters under the same guiding principle i.e. “Climb High, Sleep Low”. If you continue to practice this, you will avoid the harmful effects of altitude on the body. Otherwise, the AMS in Acute Mountain Sickness, which you will suffer from at an altitude of 3500 meters, will start gaining momentum and at higher altitudes, you will get dangerous diseases. I will suffer. While you have headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath

The attacks will become more serious. Remember that according to medical science, if the oxygen entering the body through the respiratory tract does not reach the brain within 3 minutes, then the person dies.

In addition to the above symptoms, pneumonia and dry cough can be fatal at this height. And HAPE and HACE, the most life-threatening illnesses, can also strike, leading to sudden death in the next zone, the Extremely High-Altitude Zone.

The Extremely High-Altitude Zone

The Extremely High-Altitude Zone is usually located between an altitude of 5800 meters and an altitude of 8000 meters.

As soon as you enter this zone, the negative effects of lack of oxygen on you begin to appear very quickly. If you are bringing altitude mountain sickness from below and you have ignored it, then HAPE and HACE will reach this height and in any case, will take you towards sudden death. HAPE stands for High Altitude Pulmonary Edema and HACE stands for High Altitude Cerebral Edema.

In common parlance, HAPE refers to the filling of water in the lungs. That is, your lungs become saturated due to a lack of oxygen. You start having dry or bloody coughing. Different infections start in your respiratory system. Lack of oxygen affects the whole body. Immediately after HAPE, you may suffer from HACE which is brain swelling and is a life-threatening condition in which your ability to think and understand is almost paralyzed and your brain loses control over the rest of the body. Sits Hallucination often begins and climbers begin to make strange movements. Some even fight with their peers. At high altitudes, such fights and scuffles between climbers can be deadly. According to experts, the immediate cure for HACE and HAPE is quickly descending. Immediate descent from the mountain can save lives or you may die suddenly.

You were in the Extremely High-Altitude Zone when you were at an altitude of 8000 meters, but as soon as you reached an altitude of more than 8000 meters, you entered the valley of death. Yes, an area above 8000 meters is called Death Zone.

The Death Zone

Now, what is this Death Zone? Let’s try to understand this.

As you were told at the beginning of this article about acclimatization, the human body’s automatic ability to adapt to low oxygen levels and to keep your body afloat with a low oxygen supply. Acquiring qualifications is called acclimatization. After years of research in medical science, researchers have concluded that the ultimate limit of acclimatization within the human body is up to 8000 meters above sea level. After that, the human body can no longer achieve acclimatization. As soon as you rise above 8000 meters, imagine that you are going to the brink of death. All your organs are dying moment by moment. All 14 major peaks in the world are over 8000 meters high i.e., located in the death zone. That is why obeying them is the ultimate limit of human ability, courage, and fortitude. No one can stay in the death zone for more than a certain period and no one else can be helped. Because as soon as you enter the death zone, understand that all your body systems have been switched off. You will not be recharged and on the same battery, you have to reach the top and come back within the specified time.

There is absolutely no room for error, every step must be weighed. Deviating from the climbing route or stopping somewhere unnecessarily will only mean death. Another name for sleep in the death zone is death. Climbers cannot and will not sleep before reaching an altitude of more than 8,000 meters.

After a short rest at the last campsite, they head straight for the summit, and after a continuous struggle of 16 to 18 hours, only the one who climbs to the top and reaches the height of fewer than 8000 meters survives. Otherwise, the bodies of countless climbers are still buried in the snow in the death zones of all the 14 peaks above 8000 meters above the world, which are almost impossible to bring down from there. Therefore, it is very important for any high-altitude mountaineer to prepare himself according to the requirements of the Death Zone and to train his physical according to those requirements so that he can come back from the Death Zone alive and well.

The major objective of this article is not to frighten you at all, but to create awareness for aspiring mountaineers so that they can exercise their full mental abilities through training as well as the limits of the human body. Understand that while living within them you can conquer the highest mountains by fighting the negative effects of heights.

Syed Imran Haider Thaheem

Translated by : Manahil Aamir

The author is a mountain aficionado, writer and an amateur mountaineer.