Hot Weather Hiking

Hiking in the deserts and arid regions can be exciting and challenging. Tons of different animals, plants, and scenery can be enjoyed when you hike someplace other than the mountains. The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular U.S. arid locations, but all over Arizona, New Mexico, and other southwest states, you can find great hikes to test your skills.

General Hot Weather Hiking Tips

Most importantly, remember that hiking is supposed to be fun and you are responsible for your own safety. Before you start on your hike, check the weather forecast. If it is expected to be 110 degrees and 110% humidity, then you'd better seriously consider postponing the day hike until things cool down. Your physical shape and hiking experience should also be considered. Hot weather means more strain on hearts and lungs and lots more perspiration just to keep from burning up. Make sure you are comfortable with everyone in your group being out in the heat.
When it's not too hot to hike, then use these tips to stay safe and enjoy the day:

• Pick a less strenuous route. Maybe cut back on the number of miles you plan to cover and choose something that is flatter than you'd normally tackle.
• Plan a route that is in forested land, that follows a stream, or has stream crossings. The extra shade and access to water will give you shelter if it gets too hot.
• If you have a choice between hiking in the valley or in local mountains, spend the day hiking the mountains. 4,000 feet up will be noticeably cooler than down on the valley floor.
• Include Gatorade mix or some other electrolyte powder. Mix it about half strength in your water to replenish what you sweat out.
• Include some salty snacks for the trail.
• Take more frequent breaks and ensure that everyone is drinking water.
• Enjoy the water. If there is a stream on your route, wade in it to cool off. Use a soaked bandanna to cool your head and neck as you hike, too.
• Be extra vigilant about blisters. The heat and extra sweating may help you experience your first blister in a long time so notice and treat hot spots.
• Cotton T-shirts will soak up your sweat and hold it, making the shirt heavy and reducing the cooling effect of the sweat. Wear a polyester t-shirt instead to wick the sweat away quickly. Also, make sure the clothes you are wearing are loose-fitting for more air flow and less chafing.

Desert Hiking Tips

If you are new to desert hiking, you need to learn a new set of skills and guidelines. It's similar to alpine hiking, but does have some important twists. Be prepared before you head out and you'll have a great time.

• Pick a time of year when temperatures are less extreme. If you really want to battle 120+ degree heat in the middle of summer, then go ahead, but I won't be seeing you out there. Consider spring or fall hiking instead.
• Carry all your water with you. Don't plan on finding any water on your hike - even a spring marked on your map has a good chance of being dried up. Carry at least a gallon of water per person.
• Watch for distant storms. Rain can fall miles away in the mountains and create a flashflood roaring down a bone-dry gully. Thunderclouds over mountains on the horizon may mean water coming your way, so stay out of dried waterways.
• Carry DEET-based insect repellent to fight off insects.
• The sun can fry you. Just as there is no protection on high mountains, there is little shade in the desert. Wear light, loose, long-sleeved shirts, long nylon pants, wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Re-apply sunscreen occasionally if you're sweating or wiping it off.
• Add a multi-purpose tool to your pack. A small pliers will be useful for extracting cactus needles.
• Watch out for dangerous plants. Cactus and other irritating plants just need to be touched to ruin your day. Brushing your calf against a cactus while wearing short pants can easily take an hour out of your hike and possibly ruin the whole thing.
• Watch out for dangerous critters. Arid regions have more venomous and poisonous critters than cooler areas. Snakes and reptiles are in the sun to warm up when it's cool and in the shade to stay cool when it's hot. Never put your hand where you can not see, like in a hole or under a rock. Always check around the area before you rest or sit down. Keep your ears open for a rattlesnake's warning.

Hot Weather Hiking Problems

There are three stages of heat-related illness that your body may experience - dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. It's crucially important that symptoms are recognized and actions taken immediately to prevent escalation of the illness. The good thing is that it's very simple to prevent all these problems. You lose about 4 liters of fluid each day in three main ways, each contributing to lost fluid in differing amounts depending on your activity level, environment, and health:

• Breathing - water evaporates in the air you exhale with every breath. Depending on how heavily you are breathing, how dry the air is, and air temperature, you can lose from one to six liters each day. Normally, it's around one but strenuous activities like hiking increase it.
• Sweating - through normal daily activity, you lose one to two liters through minimal perspiration. But, hotter and drier air along with increased physical exercise can push that up to one liter per hour! A consistent, non-exhaustive hiking pace will help here.
• Using the bathroom - urinating is the body's way of clearing out waste from the blood. Losing one to two liters of fluid a day from urinating is good. If you are going less than that while out hiking, you probably need to be drinking more.
  If you are sick and having diarrhea, then you may lose significant fluid that way also. Eating well and staying healthy on the trail is important.

When you exert your muscles, they generate heat which is absorbed by your blood and warms your body core. When the temperature gets high enough, your body's thermostat clicks on and the cooling system turns on. Blood flow increases to the skin where the blood can better cool off - this is why you get red. Sweat glands produce liquid which evaporates to increase the cooling rate. Everything works fine as long as there is sweat and it can evaporate.
If you run out of liquid to create sweat, bad things happen. Kind of like an air conditioner that had all the coolant leak out - it doesn't cool. You need to keep the liquid reservoirs full in order to keep your body cool.
On cool days, like 65 degrees, your body's 95 or so degree temperature is 30 degrees higher than the air so heat is transferred to the air through radiation. But, when the air temperature reaches 95 degrees or higher, your body no longer radiates heat and instead may absorb heat. Radiation is how your body loses about 65% of its heat so this is a big hit to the system when air temperature reaches 95.
Evaporation of sweat normally accounts for around 30% of your body's heat loss. But, once the air temperature is over 95, it's the only way to get rid of excess heat. On a hot dry day in the desert, your body will sweat a lot and the evaporation will keep you cool. But, as the air humidity climbs, less and less water can be absorbed by the air until 100% humidity is reached and your body can no longer dissipate heat. If you continue to generate heat with no way to get rid of it, bad things happen.

Proper Prevention

- level 0
All of these heat-related illnesses are completely preventable and really should not happen to hikers. Follow a few simple rules of prevention:

• Stay well hydrated. Drink lots of water. Drink every 10 or 15 minutes, more often as the temperature climbs.
• Wear clothes made of light fabric and light colors to effectively shade you from the sun. Include a wide-brimmed hat and neck shield.
• Include some Gatorade type mix in some of your water to replenish lost minerals.
• Hike with a buddy so you can keep an eye on each other.
• Slow down, rest more, stop if tired. Don't push yourself on hotter days.
• Hike in the cool part of the day. Hiking in the Grand Canyon between 10am and 5pm during the summer, for example, can be deadly.

Dehydration

- level 1
Usually, when your body needs water, you get a signal in your little brain that says "Hey, I'm thirsty!" and then you get a drink of water. Unfortunately, by the time you get the signal, you are often already on your way to being dehydrated - and sometimes you may not even get the signal if you are losing fluid rapidly and the sensors get overwhelmed. Symptoms - Dehydration symptoms include reduction in coordination, fatigue, and impaired judgment.
Treatment - Rest in cool, shady area. Replenish liquids. Drink cool water.

Heat Exhaustion

- level 2
Your sweat is mostly water but also contains electrolytes - sodium and chloride ions. When you sweat and do not replenish those electrolytes, heat exhaustion occurs. Even if you consume water, you may experience heat exhaustion if you are sweating heavily for prolonged times. Symptoms - Heat exhaustion symptoms include fatigue, nausea, lightheadedness, fainting, headache, muscle cramps, irritability, and exhaustion. There may be heavy sweating if liquids have been consumed. The symptoms usually occur after the exertion which caused it, even after water has been taken to improve the dehydration.
Treatment - Heat exhaustion is not life-threatening and goes away with enough rest and water, but can escalate to heat stroke if not quickly addressed. The condition can be treated more quickly by consuming electrolyte solutions such as power drinks or a teaspoon of sodium chloride salt dissolved in a liter of cold water. Drink the water slowly over 30 minutes or more while resting in a cool, shady location. Pour water on the person to help cool him off. Have him sit in a stream if it is not too cold.

Heat Stroke

- level 3
Heat exhaustion can quickly become heat stroke if not treated immediately. Heat stroke can kill quickly - less than 30 minutes. This is an emergency situation and 9-1-1 should be called if possible.
When your body can no longer dissipate heat, it overheats which can destroy internal organs, including your brain. Symptoms - Heat stroke symptoms include red, hot skin because all the surface blood vessels are dilated. It is possible to have heat stroke with wet skin, especially on hot, humid days, but when caused from extended dehydration, there is usually little sweat present. When the brain begins to overheat, it affects behaviors and the victim may become disoriented, irritable and combative, and have hallucinations. The victim will finally collapse and die if not treated.
Treatment - Cooling down the victim quickly is the first goal. Cooling the head and neck should be top priority. Rest in a cool, shady place. Remove clothing, spray water over body, apply wet bandannas, fan the victim to promote evaporation, drinking cool water if possible. Getting a heat stroke victim to drink may not be possible, depending on their mental state.
Any heat stroke victim needs to go to the hospital as soon as possible.

Things You Must Know Before Camping in Bear Country

Many camping spots throughout the world are going to be considered bear country. Whether or not you actually run into a bear is not up to luck, but up to you. And what you do when you do find a bear is most certainly up to you. So, if you are going to do any camping in bear country, which is mostly anywhere outside, you'll want to remember these 8 Camping Tips.

Triangle Set Up

You want to set up your campsite to keep certain activities separate. There are three main areas : Sleeping, Cooking, and Food Storage. We obviously want to keep our Food stored away from our tent, this is just good practice. But we also want to keep our cooking station separate. This ensures that any smells the bear might pick up will not lead them to where we are sleeping. A good idea is to make a triangle of these 3 points with at least a 100 yards separating them.

Keep Your Tent Food Free

This needs to be said especially. Never, ever bring food into your tent. Not even a soda, some bread, or a candy bar. No food. If you follow the rest of these tips your campsite will not smell appetizing. But the second you bring a candy bar into your tent, eat it, and leave the wrapper the bear now has one thing they're interested in, and it's in your tent.

Change Your Clothes

I can see it now. You make a delicious meal, clean up, store your food, and then hit the hay. Well, now you are sleeping in clothes that smell just like that delicious meal. This is going to certainly attract a bear. After cooking you must change your clothes and wash up. Keep those dirty clothes stored with the food, hopefully in a bear hang.

Speaking of Smells

You and your delicious clothes are not the only things that are going to attract a bear's curious nose. Things like deodorants, soaps, lotions, toothpaste, and even some bug repellents are going to be very interesting to a bear. You want to keep these, and anything with a strong, alluring smell, with your food at the bear hang. When your food and gear is up and in smell-proof container you'll keep the bear disinterested in your area.

Garbage and Fire

You can do a lot to ensure nothing is too alluring for your bear neighbors and still mess up. Two things campers often miss is their garbage and the fire. Garbage is just as good as food, to a bear, so it needs to be carried out or stored someplace where it can't be reached. And your fire is a magnet for food scrapes, only to be burned so it can be smelled for miles and miles. Keep your garbage and your fire clean and you'll keep those curious bears at away.

Know the Signs, Read the Signs

You have to learn how to see and read the signs that you are in a bear area. First off, if you are camping in a very popular camping spot, you are in a bear area. In these areas bears are constantly smelling food and humans together. It doesn't take long for them to get real comfortable with people. And, no matter how much you clean, your campsite will smell like food. No matter what. These aren't the only signs. You want to check out tracks around trails and water sources. Look for low branches being broken on young trees. Bears are creatures of routine, when you find a spot that tends to lack bears, you'll probably be okay.

Keep Yourself Armed

I don't mean with a shotgun or dynamite, but having a few choice tools near you just in case a bear decides to visit can save your life. Something as simple as flashlight has shown to be effective against bears. No, you don't throw it at the bear. Most bears don't want to deal with people. They just want some free food and then to move on (like a recent college graduate). A bright flashlight can scare the bear and make it back off. If you need a little more protection you can invest in a bear spray.

Colors Count

It turns out Bears know about colors. When they see bright greens, yellows, reds, and blues while out in the forest, they get curious. Most bears understand that a bright color usually means a human. And humans mean food (you know, they bring food). But these same bears tend to have trouble with camouflage colored tents. Darker browns and greens tend to blend into the scenery. So, if you're going to Bear country, keep the colorful tent at home. Bear Country is all over the place. Knowing how to handle it is something all experienced campers need to know. These simple 8 tips can ensure that you keep the bears away from you and your campsite without bothering anyone. And, should one wander in, you'll know how to handle it without getting hurt.

A breath of fresh air for oxygen-starved tissue

Sudden, vigorous exercise can cause a bit of a burn. We’ve all been there: chasing after a bus, a train, a dog or a personal best on the running track and we feel our chest tighten uncomfortably. This is hypoxia; it’s your heart telling you that its tissue is being starved of oxygen. Patients with heart disease experience hypoxia regularly. With so little oxygen getting into the depths of the heart tissue, cells can die off, worsening a patient’s symptoms. Current clinical management by cardiologists like me has been to use drugs or interventions, such as stents in the arteries of heart. Now, chemists I am working with have discovered and used a new artificial substance that provides more oxygen for cells.
In this approach, developed at the University of Bristol, the oxygen-carrying protein myoglobin is attached to chemical components on the membrane of cells. The artificial membrane, known as a polymer-surfactant conjugate, provides a reservoir of oxygen that prevents hypoxia. My colleagues and I at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, University of Cambridge analysed the way this membrane affects stem cells and are now looking at how they effect heart muscle cells, and found that it might be able to change the way cells behave, without all the trouble of altering their genetic code.
Laboratory tests, where the membrane was applied to human stem cells shows very encouraging results. When genetic expression analysis was performed, researchers found significant down regulation (reduced activity) in the genes known to be responsible for causing hypoxia. This effect lasted in the cells for at least seven to 14 days.
The treatment is currently being tested on other cells and needs to be tested in live models before we can think about experimental clinical trials. There is a need for caution but there’s plenty of cause for optimism: this technique opens brand new research avenues in cardiology. The membrane may work in other tissues as well, presenting us with a whole new batch of possible therapeutic uses.
Innovation like this is impossible without collaboration. A team including chemists, stem cell biologists, genetic researchers and clinicians had to come together and share their expertise to get this idea off the ground. Let’s hope this continues and that we see more fresh eyes and fresh ideas transforming the way we treat heart conditions.
This is a real practical example of a successful translational project, taking basic science work and utilising it for the benefit of clinical medicine, to really have an impact on patient care and management. It is gratifying to work with so many dedicated scientists who share a common goal to improve the treatment options for patients with heart disease.

Bicycle Hill Climbing Tips

Most commutes have at least one. No matter how hard you try, they’re nearly impossible to avoid. Hills have the power to inflict pain on cyclists of all levels. Want to reduce your commute time and learn to embrace the discomfort of bicycle hill climbing?

Remember to breathe. It’s a natural reaction to hold your breath or to breathe shallowly when you’re in a stressful or physically challenging situation. But your body needs all the oxygen it can get to power up a climb. Practice filling your belly with air and taking long, deep breaths instead of short, shallow ones. Keep your hands at a wide stance on the handlebars in order to open up the chest.

Get in gear. Unless you’re commuting on a fixie or singlespeed, you should have gearing options to help ease the uphill grind. Consider a triple crankset if you live in a hilly area and check with your local bike shop to be sure your gearing is low enough to tackle the terrain.

Take a seat. It’s easier to sustain a lower heart rate when you’re hill climbing in a seated position. While standing increases the power you’re able to generate, it does so at the cost of an elevated heart rate, which can mean a more painful climb, and expending more energy. Stand when you must, but otherwise stay seated and slide all the way back on your saddle. This position recruits the large and powerful gluteal muscles. Staying seated also allows you to save energy by recruiting your core muscles. To engage your core, resist the urge to sit upright during a climb. Instead lean forward, bending your elbows slightly while keeping a flat back.  This lowers your center of gravity and gives your primary leg muscles a break.

Spin it. Many riders fall into the trap of spinning too low a gear, which quickly fatigues the legs and strains the knees. Instead, try to maintain a cadence of at least 85rpm. As you approach a hill, gradually shift down and work on maintaining a smooth, high cadence. If you drop into your lowest gear too early, you’ll risk spinning out and losing momentum. As you concentrate on cadence, keep taking deep breaths and focus on maintaining this rhythm as you climb.

Give yourself an advantage. It’s difficult for commuter bikes to reduce the weight of their bikes, which can be a big benefit on hills. But you can make small changes like using thinner tires or switching out knobbies for slicks if you’re primarily riding on pavement. Be sure to check your tires before every ride and keep them pumped up to the recommended PSI. And every rider can benefit from the power of mind over matter. Reinforce positive thoughts and visualize yourself pedaling confidently to the top.

Shin Splints

Nothing threatens to derail a new training program faster than shin splints. If you’re increasing mileage, switching from trails to road or adding more high-intensity track workouts, you could be at risk. Women are also more likely to get shin splints than men. About three million people per year in the U.S. are afflicted with painful, burning shins. Many of those affected are runners, although the condition is also common among new military recruits and dancers. The good news is that shin splints generally clear up in few days to weeks with treatment.

Pain occurs along the inner edge of the tibia, where muscles attach to the bone. Illustration: Oliver Baker

Symptoms of Shin Splints

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons defines shin splints—officially called medial tibial stress syndrome—as “pain along the inner edge of the shinbone (tibia).”
Shins hurt during and after a run due to inflammation of tendons, muscles and bone tissue around your tibia. Pain occurs along the inner edge of the tibia, where muscles attach to the bone. Mild swelling may be present. The pain may be sharp, dull or throbbing. Shins may also be sore to the touch.

Causes of Shin Splints

Shin splints are caused by repeated stress and trauma to the muscle and bone tissue around the tibia. Recent studies indicate the trauma isn’t caused by the direct contact. Instead it happens from the slight bend that occurs during activity in a stress-loaded bone. As your tibia and muscles strengthen with repeated high-impact activity, the chance of shin splints lessens. This is why shin splints are more common in those just starting a running or training program. Other possible causes could include having flat feet or rigid arches, while others get this ailment from running in worn out or improper shoes.

Treatment for Shin Splints

Luckily, shin splints are one of the easier injuries to heal. Rest, ice and stretching are your best bets.
If overuse is the cause, resting is the first step towards recovery. Switch to lower impact activities such as swimming, pool running and cycling. If your case is on the mild side, you may continue to run, but with less mileage and intensity. Take it easy and make sure the pain is gone before returning to a normal training schedule.
If you can tolerate non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, taking ibuprofen and aspirin may help to reduce pain and swelling.
When icing, use cold packs for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day, until pain subsides. This usually takes two to three days.
Wearing an elastic compression bandage, compression socks or calf sleeves may help to alleviate discomfort and prevent additional swelling.
As long as it does not cause additional pain, adding flexibility and mobility exercises for your lower leg muscles may make your shins feel better. Strength training will help prevent re-injury as you return to running.
Finally, if you have flat feet or if shin splints are a recurring issue, visit a podiatrist, who may fit you for orthotics. These inserts could help to align and stabilize your foot, taking stress off your lower leg.

Preventing Shin Splints

Wearing the right shoes is crucial to preventing most injuries, especially shin splints. Make sure your running shoes fit properly and are the right type for your foot shape and running style. If you start logging long miles in old gym shoes or hiking boots, chances are your shins won’t be pleased. Get fitted at a specialty running store.
Work towards having good mobility and stability, not just throughout your legs, but in your entire body. Strong mobility means the entire kinetic chain can work together for maximum running efficiently. Warm up before a run with a few dynamic stretches. Be sure to roll out and stretch your legs once your workout is over.
Build miles and intensity gradually so that your body can adapt to the increased exercise load. Incorporating cross-training (swimming, cycling, pool running) is another way to increase endurance without overtaxing your body. Running on soft surfaces such as trails or grass will help reduce the impact on your lower legs as well.
Work on increasing leg turnover in your stride. The less time feet spend in contact with the ground, the less impact there is with every step. Studies show a lower incidence of injury in runners with around 180 steps per minute.
Finally, be smart about your training. If shin splints do not improve or worsen, schedule a visit with your doctor to investigate other possible causes or injuries. Left untreated, shin splints can turn into a stress fracture.

Mountain Hiking

What is High Altitude?

• High Altitude is from 8,000 to 13,000 feet. This is common hiking elevation in western U.S.
• Very High Altitude is 13,000 to 18,000 feet. Some hiking, mostly in high Rocky Mountains.
• Extremely High Altitude is over 18,000 feet. Special breathing gear required.

Air is made up of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon with traces of other stuff in it. Nitrogen is about 78%, oxygen is 21%, and argon is 1% - those percentages stay constant no matter what the elevation.
Air pressure becomes less as you climb up a mountain, and less air pressure means less oxygen to breath. High altitude hiking is when you trek at an elevation that may affect your body. Some people are affected as low as 7000 feet. Let's take a minute to explain a bit about air pressure and available oxygen.
If you put your arms out and turn around, you've made a circle that is about 5 feet wide. Imagine that circle being a column of air going from the ground up, up, up to the edge of the atmosphere. From where you're standing, there are thousands and thousands of feet of air above you in your column. All the nitrogen, oxygen, and argon above you is pushing down on the air around you. The height of that column of air determines the air pressure where you are and that air pressure determines how densely the gas particles are packed together.

The higher you climb, the less air there is above you in the column, so the lower the air pressure and the less dense the gas. Every 1000 feet you climb, you lose about 3% of the available oxygen because there is less gas packed into your column of air. At 12,000 feet, every breath you take brings in only 2/3 the amount of oxygen that you would suck in at sea level.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that air temperature drops about 3.5 degrees for every 1000 feet of elevation gain. A nice 75 degree day at 5,000 feet will be more like 60 degrees at 10,000 feet.

Hiking at High Altitudes

As you expand your hiking adventures, you'll probably be driven to hike up higher and higher mountains. At some point, it becomes mountaineering, but there are many peaks over 14,000 feet that have trails all the way to the top. Colorado has many 14,000+ peaks that people make a goal of summiting. As you climb ever higher, you need to understand the added risks and problems with higher altitudes. You will find yourself needing to breathe deeper and more often to keep enough oxygen circulating to your muscles. Every breath has less oxygen, so you need more breaths. There are more special preparations for higher altitude hiking:

• Slower Pace - If you are not expecting the lack of oxygen, you will find yourself needing frequent rest stops to recover. But, by slowing your pace as you gain elevation, you will keep your body working without overexerting.
• Even Rhythm - Maintaining a breathing/stepping rhythm is even more important at higher elevations than lower down. It will help keep you from overexerting yourself.
• Deep Breathing - when you first notice any breathlessness, start thinking about your breathing. Take deeper breaths and smaller steps until you have a sustainable pace again. On steeper sections, deliberately placing each foot and taking a breath may be the way to go.
• Sunscreen is critical because the sun is more powerful higher up. Snow, light-colored rocks, cool temperature, and no shade above treeline also contribute to easy sun burns.
• Sunglasses will help prevent squinting and headaches. Snowblindness and sunburned eyelids are real problems. Use side guards on your glasses for more protection.
• Extra Clothes - long sleeves, long pants, hats, and gloves to protect from the sun, wind, and cold. Weather can change in a heartbeat, easily dropping more than 30 degrees in 1/2 hour or less.

Ignoring the risks of hiking at higher elevations will ruin your day. If you're lucky, you'll just be wiped out, but there's a good chance you can get yourself in deep trouble.

Altitude Sickness

Everyone needs to breathe more when they are at altitude. But, some people become sick when they hike too high. It just happens.
The biggest problem with hikers is that they want to reach their goal and may not accept that they need to stop when problems occur. Being honest enough to stop and possibly turn back can be a very difficult step to take.
There are many factors that come into play when altitude sickness hits, but taking some steps will help minimize your risk:

• Acclimatize - The biggest contributor to altitude sickness is climbing too fast. That means the person in good shape has a good chance of getting sick since he tends to push harder and hike faster. People that reside at lower elevations will experience a greater change at lower heights. To acclimatize:
  • Rest and relax for 2 hours for every 1000 feet the trailhead is above your normal elevation. For example, if you live in Iowa at 1,000 feet and plan to hike in Wyoming at 9,000 feet, you should arrive in the afternoon and start your hike in the morning after sleeping a night to acclimatize.
  • Climb slowly and steadily.
  • Check how you are feeling every hour. Nausea, lack of hunger or thirst, headache, dizziness, difficult breathing, lack of coordination are all warning signs.
  • On multi-day hikes, sleep no more than 1500 feet higher than the previous night. You can climb higher during the day, but come down to sleep.
• Expect It - just because you went to 14,000 feet last summer does not mean your hike to 12,000 feet will not affect you next weekend. Any height over 8,000 feet should make you be on the alert. Every hike is a new experience and by being on the lookout for symptoms, you will catch problems early on.
• Hydrate - drinking more water helps reduce the symptoms. Drink even if you do not feel thirsty.
• Reduce Exertion - the harder you push your body, the greater your risk of getting symptoms.
• Eat Well - eat a high carbohydrate menu, and don't forget to drink water.

AMS - Acute Mountain Sickness

About 75% of people that hike over 10,000 feet will experience some mild AMS symptoms. Hikers can continue on with mild symptoms, but if they do not subside or they get worse, then corrective action is required. The problem with AMS is that its symptoms are similar to other common hiking problems such as dehydration, fatigue, and eating bad food.
Ignoring these symptoms can result in extreme situations, possibly death. Ordered from most severe to least:

• Disorientation - confusion, hallucinations, irrational behavior can all be caused by edema, which is swelling of tissue and can be caused by higher elevation.
• Loss of Coordination - someone stumbling or dropping their water bottle should be signals. If you suspect someone may be experiencing this, test them:
  • Have him walk heel-to-toe in a straight line.
  • Have him stand straight with feet together and arms at sides and then close his eyes. He should be able to balance for at least 15 seconds.
• Lassitude - similar to exhaustion, just being tired out. After eating and drinking water and resting, exhaustion should go away. If it does not get better, do not go on and keep resting. There will be no energy to eat, talk, or do anything as the situation worsens.
• Headache - there are many causes for a headache, from bright sun to altitude sickness. If a headache does not go away after food, water, and rest, then suspect altitude sickness.
• Nausea - upset stomach and loss of appetite.

HAPE - High Altitude Pulmonary Edema

High Altitude Pulmonary Edema is excess fluid in the lungs which further reduces oxygen exchange from air to your body. The level of oxygen diminishes which can lead to impaired thinking and ultimately death. HAPE symptoms include shortness of breath while at rest, feeling of tightness in the chest, weakness, feeling of suffocating, persistent cough, and fatigue. The person may also cough up watery fluid.

HACE - High Altitude Cerebral Edema

High Altitude Cerebral Edema is excess fluid in the brain which puts pressure on the brain. This usually develops over a few days but is a life-threatening situation. Disorientation and weird behavior will lead to unconsciousness most likely followed by death if nothing is done.

Treating Altitude Sickness

The important thing to do is stay alert and catch early symptoms fast. The longer symptoms develop, the more drastic the response will need to be. Assuming you catch the symptoms early, follow these steps - but if the symptoms are advanced, decide between the last couple steps:

• Rest - take a break and take in some fluids and food. Take aspirin for headache. Do not be in a hurry and plan to break for an hour to give the symptoms a chance to recede.
• Medicate - Diamox is an altitude medication that may help.
• Descend - Drop at least 1,500 feet down the mountain and rest.
• Halt - Stop the hike and descend completely off the mountain.
• 9-1-1 - Call for medical services. If the victim can hike, start descending immediately, not in the morning or after supper, now! Otherwise, wait for evacuation.

Love snowboarders?

We’re here to set the record straight once and for all. Our name may indicate that we cater to skiers, but that’s simply not the case. We have plenty of Mountain Travel Experts and staffers who are snowboarders, who can provide snowboarders with unique and important perspectives on ski resorts with the best terrain (and terrain parks) and off-mountain activities and attractions to suit their interests and budget.
Since the sport’s inception, more than 35 years ago, snowboarders have often been a downtrodden people. In the 90s only seven percent of ski resorts allowed snowboarders, and there was segregated  “snowboarders only” runs.  They’ve been snubbed by skier “friends” who tell them that “you probably don’t want  to come with us because there’s a lot of traversing,” or told by the random skier guy at the bar “you snowboarders ruin the moguls.” It’s no wonder that there’s been a history of tension between the two groups of snowsports enthusiasts. While some skiers, like all people, will never accept change or new ideas, we, at Ski.com, would personally like to thank snowboarding, and its culture, for all the innovative and inspirational things that the sport has contributed to the modern mountain experience.
Here’s why we love snowboarders:

They invented ski resort terrain parks.

Did you know in the early 90s terrain parks were called “snowboard parks?” The concept was derived from skate parks, but snowboarders added their own take with jumps and boxes. While the 2014 Sochi Olympic freeskiers may have just showcased their gravity- and logic-defying skills for the first time, their style and sport is entirely born out of freestyle snowboarding. Check out the ski resorts with the best terrain parks.

They have a good sense of humor.

Snowboarders know best that sometimes having a board strapped to your feet and no poles can be inefficient in certain terrain. Check out the video below to learn about what “backside scootching” is.

They surf powder.

Think about it for a second. Imagine how that would feel. If you’re a skier who dabbles in snowboarding or has mastered both sports you know what we’re talking about. Snowboarding in powder is likened to the feeling a surfer experiences when riding a big wave. Sounds pretty awesome, right?

They are leading the charge in climate change activism.

What would happen to skiing and snowboarding if there was no snow? That’s what snowboarder Jeremy Jones, of Jones Snowboards and TGR’s Deeper, Further, Higher film series, is addressing with his non-profit Protect our Winters (POW). POW  has united 50-plus professional snowboarders and skiers to form the organizations’ Riders Alliance to “actively engage the global snow sports community to lead the fight against climate change.” In October 2013 17 athletes traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to meet with 11 U.S. Congressmen to discuss climate change and how it affects both alpine environment and mountain economy and lifestyle.