Pre acclimatization

Preliminary acclimatization before climbing to 7000m

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MCS AlexClimb Mountain Climbing School

Recently, there have been many questions about the use of the concept of the "pre-acclimatization" before high-altitude ascents. This idea is actively promoted as a way to significantly reduce the time of high-altitude ascents - for example, remove the acclimatization block before climbing Peak Khan-Tengri or Peak Lenin. 7 days instead of 18… Tempting, right? Unfortunately, the idea of outwitting your own body is not as valuable as it might seem.

Based on my own extensive experience, I can confidently state: climbing Elbrus (Kazbek, Ararat, Demavend) immediately before climbing any 7-thousander is a completely meaningless idea, which does not increase, and possibly even reduces the chances of success of the main ascent. I will explain.

Let's start with the fact that climbing Mount Elbrus or Mount Kazbek does not give you acclimatization even at the level of 5000 m. This is just a one-time entering of a critical altitude, seriously devouring your energy supply. Acclimatization does not occur at all during a quick ascent to a five-thousander, for this, you need to spend at least a week at a certain altitude in order to stabilize the state of your body. A fast rut to 5600 m does not give anything in this regard. Moreover, for Mount Elbrus you need acclimatization not for the 5000 m, but only for 4000 meters - to the altitude from which you will attempt the summit. And many climbers neglect even this.

But to climb Lenin Peak or any other seven-thousander, you will need acclimatization not even at 5000m. You will need it for 6000 m - to the altitude from which the final push will take place. That is, it turns out that in the case of a preliminary ascent of Mount Elbrus, you will not have any acclimatization at all for an interval of 4-6000 m. In addition, if these two ascents are separated by a short time interval, then you will not have time to recover after the first ascent, and you will go to the second with a reduced level of energy and strength, which will not shorten, but rather increase the necessary acclimatization time for high altitudes.

Based on my own experience, I came to the unequivocal conclusion: there is no such thing as "pre-acclimatization". There are two physiological phenomena - acclimatization and adaptation to the physical load. Further - in more detail.

The idea of pre-acclimatization before high-altitude ascents is far from new. Its essence is to save time on the planned acclimatization on the route of the main high-altitude ascent by taking an intensive acclimatization course in another, more accessible area some time before the main ascent. 

It was my own attempts to use the idea of pre-acclimatization that allowed me to understand quite well how and why this technique does not work. I definitely want to clarify - I am not a doctor and I use some medical terms only to refer to general physiological phenomena, without reference to any official clinical data. However, no one has conducted clinical trials of the body's response to successive changes in high-altitude horizons under the influence of a complex of intense and diverse loads. So, maybe my experience is generally the first attempt to formulate the essence of future scientific experiments, why not?!

In order to understand why exactly the idea of pre-acclimatization is not applicable to high-altitude ascents, it is necessary to clearly separate two physiological processes – altitude acclimatization itself, and adaptation to the load in general.

What is the high-altitude acclimatization? This is a reconfiguration of most of the physiological processes of the body in accordance to the unusual external conditions. It should be clarified that these conditions are not only a lower oxygen content that differs from the usual level. Also, this is a different level of physical activity, climatic features, humidity, air temperature, unusual food. Often a different time zone. That is, your body is being rebuilding globally its processes, reacting to the numerous features of the new location.

Climbing by MCS AlexClimb Of course, the main thing we are talking about is the high-altitude nature of the unusual load, the main factor to which the body must adapt is the low oxygen content. After going through the acclimatization period, the duration of which is individual, a person gets the opportunity to work effectively and without risk to health at the high altitude in the new environment conditions. 

The main property of high-altitude acclimatization is that it has a very short duration after the descent. That is, after returning to the usual altitude zone, the reverse process of adjusting the body (reacclimatization) occurs very quickly. Altitude acclimatization lasts no more than a week, and it is locally tied to those additional conditions that I mentioned above. This axiom has been tested on the hundreds of ascents.

Adaptation to a load, including high-altitude one, is a different process in our body than acclimatization. Adaptation to the load is the training of our body, a well-developed algorithm for responding to an increase of a load and changes in external conditions. The speed and safety of the altitude acclimatization depends on the availability of this training. 

As an example, if you have never doing any sports, then go running for 10 km you can put yourself in bed for several days with back and knee pain, and a general loss of energy. But if you run a kilometer every day, then after a single run of 10-20 kilometers, nothing will (most likely) happen to you.

The same happens in the mountains. If you go to the mountains regularly, make ascents of various steepness and complexity at least once a month, and once for every six months you go to the more serious ascents - in this case, your high-altitude acclimatization will be much faster than for people who go to the mountains for the first time.

Load adaptation has a much longer term, especially with regular support and training. That is why, I have always suggested to my clients not to focus on one difficult high-altitude ascent per year, but to add to the training program several simple trips, related to being at altitude. In this case, acclimatization before a difficult ascent will be much faster and safer.

This is where the benefit of going to Mount Elbrus of Mount Kazbek will be, albeit without climbing the summit, but with an intense load and staying at the altitude for several days. Or climbing Mount Bazarduzu in June. It's just an altitude workout. In this case, you will not have any acclimatization left in a week. But the body will remember its reaction, and if in August you go to the 7000 meters, most likely, your acclimatization will be faster and less painful.

That's all on the topic of "pre-acclimatization". I wish you good luck and nice weather in the mountains!

The author of the text and photos - Alex Trubachev