Your Guide for High Altitude

Karolina Guilcapi
Aug 8
2 min read

While hiking, have you ever felt like your brain turned into a balloon and your legs forgot how to function? Welcome to altitude sickness — nature’s way of saying, “You went too high, too fast.” At higher elevations the air is thinner and makes it harder to breathe. Cue the symptoms: pounding headaches, dizziness, nausea, and the strange sensation that walking up stairs feels like running a marathon with a backpack full of bricks.

It’s not exactly the vacation vibe you were going for.

How to Prepare:

Meet your new best friends: hydration and carbs.

At high altitudes, your body loses water faster, so keep that water bottle close. And believe it or not, your body actually works harder and burns more energy up there — so go ahead and say yes to that extra bread roll or bowl of pasta. You might also want to train a little before you go. Even if you're not climbing Everest, arriving with some baseline fitness helps your body cope. Walking, jogging, or stairs can make a real difference. Make sure you are taking your time ascending. If you're road-tripping, plan a stop or two along the way to give your body a chance to adjust.

Make sure to also stay away from any alcoholic beverages and over-the-counter altitude sickness or altitude sickness medications. They are medicines with a temporary effect, but they do not help acclimatization - on the contrary, they postpone it. Any medicine for altitude should be prescribed by your doctor.

What to pack:

Packing for high can be a little unpredictable — one minute it's warm and sunny, the next, it's cold and moody. But don’t worry — with a little prep and the right gear, you’ll be mountain-ready and thriving.

It's all about layers!

For your upper body you should wear gloves, a moisture-wicking base layer, insulating mid-layers like fleece or a puffy jacket, and a waterproof/windproof outer shell. For your lower body you should wear trekking pants, warmer pants (optional), rain pants (recommended between October and March), warm socks, multiple pairs, boots or trekking shoes (Recommended: A pair that you have worn before), long crew socks.

Skin care: The higher you go, the thinner the atmosphere — which means UV rays come at you like paparazzi on a red carpet. So make sure you bring a high-SPF sunscreen (don’t forget the ears and neck!), lip balm with SPF, polarized sunglasses to cut snow.