UKH

Last year I went to the alps, didn't acclimatize and got spanked on everything I tried, resulting in a rubbish trip. This year I am going for longer. I want to spend some time acclimatizing, so I don't get altitude sickness again.

Does anyone have any tips or techniques to help acclimatization in the alps?

In reply to JoshOvki: Providing that you have a good window of stable weather it's best to try and get up and do something around 2500m-3000m early in the trip, and then get back down the same day. The next day your body will be producing red blood cells to get used to the oxygen levels you've just experienced, so it's good to have a day off, sorting kit etc ready to get up high again and letting your body recover.

If you're out there for 2 weeks, you could do this twice if you really wanted, but generally i do this once. Then get up high to do 4000m peaks, i feel much better from taking the time to acclimatize on smaller peaks first.

Note that, people a different in terms of the time it takes to acclimatize. You may just be more susceptible to altitude sickness and may need longer to acclimatize. Do smaller peaks first, getting up and down the same day, because you really start acclimatizing when you're back in the valley! Listen to your body and you'll have a much better trip.

Hope that helps
C

In reply to CragRat_Trad:

Sounds like an excuse to do something on the Index in the first few days then.

In reply to JoshOvki: Hey Josh, Our plan for this season roughly is:

2 days at the index

3 days up at the albert prem, starting with the petit force and the tete blanche, possible the tour, and then going on to the Migot spur.

after that some day routes from the midi, chere couloir, contamine mazeud or something like the midi plan traverse.

Then hopefully we'll be acclimiatized for the NF of the tour ronde as the first "Big" tick of the season !

In reply to Petarghh: http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=12425

Is a good day trip, bit of a slog, but will get you fit. No glacier, so is good solo option. Aig. rouge is also good for acclimatisation.
In the past I've used petite verte as a day acclimatisation route, do the petite verte, then, if you still have time to kill down to the lift, round to the right, then climb up the ridge or the slop on the other side of the ridge.

In reply to JoshOvki:

I think the key to this is choosing objective at modest altitude 2000/2500mthat you really fancy having a go at and increase the height slowly.
This way if the weather does crap out (all too frequent in say Cham)your trip isnt wasted youve got a few real objectives in not just peaks for the sake of height/acclimatization.

Red blood cell build up can take up to 10days for those infrequent to alpine altitude some quicker some slower.

Of course you can always suffer and climb with a banging head/worst hangover ever.....not my idea of fun, as i think you have already found.
check out the lower peaks there are some cracking routes at lower altitudes

In reply to JoshOvki:
>"Does anyone have any tips or techniques to help acclimatization in the alps?"

For me nothing really works like a night in a hut at circa 3000m.

In reply to JoshOvki:

Can anyone recommend a non-technical acclimatisation walk/route up to 2,500m or so, around Chamonix/Argentiere? Doable in a day please, as that's all I have spare between arriving in Cham and my Conville course xD

In reply to JoshOvki:

Drink ridiculous amounts of water, well, aim for 3 to 4 litres per day. Avoid alcohol completely. [Try to] have fun!

In reply to stewieatb:
Or the Plan de l'Aiguille - Montenvers walk (down hill) or the reverse (uphill). That might answer your question more helpfully! If you take a high traverse below what remains of the glaciers, you probably won't see a soul for a couple of hours

In reply to shaun walby:

Red blood cell count takes weeks, but you only need that for Himalayan altitudes. Physiological facors change first, like breathing rate and depth of breathing, then blood PH changes to allow better oxygen uptake (that's what Diamox does quickly). But it is true that individuals vary, also they tend to improve as they have been to altitude more often (some sort of learning process), but no guarantees.

In reply to JoshOvki:

http://medex.org.uk/medex_book/english_version.php - full of information, more than you'll need but good read and free!

http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1746 - solid advice.

http://www.theuiaa.org/medical_advice.html - general resource.

Have fun! M

In reply to pneame:

Thanks - will check them all out

In reply to stewieatb:
Mont Jolly. A walk to 2500M with fantastic views of the Mont Blanc masif on the opposite side of the valley.

In reply to stewieatb: Ideas for some acclimatisation walks:

Get the train up to the Montenvers then walk across to the middle aigulle do midi station, it has a name but i forget it, spectacualar views of the cham aiguilles and mont blanc etc.

Get the Index lift and climb the Index, non glacial approach and 10 mins from the cable car, 5 or 6 pitches at around Severe with an easy abseil descent.

Go up to the middle Brevent station then walk up to the Brevent and either walk down or lift down

Last summer we walked up to Montenvers from the valley and went for a wander on the Mer de Glace, dry glacier with little objective danger and some interesting ladders to descend, specacular scenery!

Lac Blanc is meant to be nice but i've never been !

Or just take a book up the Midi and chill up there with a few litres of water

HTH, Pete

In reply to JoshOvki:
Perhaps everybody's taking it for granted, but I've always found the most important single factor in rapid acclimatisation is to be as 'mountain fit' as possible before you go out to the Alps, i.e. in good nick for sustained rapid ascents of 4000' (preferably more) with an alpine sac, so that your cardio-vascular system's in prime condition. A trot up and down a couple of the big Nevis ridges in a day is the most enjoyable kind of training, but any hard hill-walking helps.

With a reasonable alpine warm-up programme along the lines other posters have suggested, I've only ever suffered debilitating altitude problems when I went to the Alps seriously unfit, e.g. immediately after my university finals. Which was memorably dire.

In reply to Petarghh:

It`s the Grand Balcon Nord.

In reply to stewieatb: dont worry too much about acclimatizing before the conville course mate. They usually take you somewhere to acclimatize on the 1st day anyway.

In reply to JoshOvki: Do a rock peak from the valley max altitude of 2800m if weather ok on first day or go hiking to the same height if the weather is bad. Then go to a hut or bivi the next day and try a peak up to say 3700m. After that a lower 4000m peak should be enjoyable and then you'd be ready for a bigger peak like Mont Blanc, Taschorn etc

In reply to stewieatb:

Have a wander up Mont Buet, its over 3000m, about 10 hrs round trip and non-technical. Plus cracking views.

The Chardonnet is a little higher than the Tour Ronde and the Migot Spur is very similar in difficulty (and much more interesting) than the Tour Ronde NF. If you make it up the former you'll have no problems (to do with acclimatision or otherwise) with the latter!