How To Avoid Altitude Sickness On Your Ski Vacation

The fastest way to ruin a vacation is by getting sick; altitude sickness is particularly irritating because it is avoidable. Altitude sickness is not like stomach flu or covid; you can’t catch it from a bad seat on an airplane. Altitude sickness is instead a result of overexertion, unlucky genetics, poor cardiovascular fitness, or climbing too high too fast.

Altitude sickness is no fun. It causes headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, and in extreme cases, fainting. So it is natural to want to avoid altitude sickness at all costs. This article will give you the dos and don’ts for traveling on your high-altitude vacation:

BEST THINGS TO DO TO AVOID ALTITUDE SICKNESS

Regular cardiovascular exercise (before you leave home)

Cardiovascular exercise can go a long way in preventing altitude sickness. It challenges your ability to deliver oxygen throughout your body in a stressful situation.

While the stressor- moving quickly over time is different from a low oxygen environment, it similarly challenges your heart.

Cardiovascular exercise means something different for everyone. For some, this will be walking stairs; for others, it may be sprinting up hills. Either way, the better your cardiovascular fitness is going into a high-altitude environment, the better off you are.

Drink a ton of water

Most people don’t drink enough water. Many factors impact how much water you need in a day, and water demands vary significantly from person to person.

However, whatever you usually consume during the day, on your first high altitude day, increase it. Aim for 1.5 times your average daily water consumption.

I live in Summit County, Colorado, and the drive from the airport to the mountains is about an hour and forty minutes. I tell all my friends that come to town that if you don’t stop and use the bathroom at least once on the way up, you haven’t drank enough water.

However, if they have the time, I always recommend spending their first night in Denver because of our next tip:

Gain elevation slowly

I know if you are heading out for a ski vacation, you want to get the most out of your vacation days. However, avoiding altitude sickness is better than two extra hours on the slopes.

If you live at sea level, you’ll likely want to avoid flying directly into airports that are above 8,000 feet. If you are coming to the Colorado Rockies for a long weekend, it would be wise to arrive Thursday night and spend that evening in Denver before driving up Friday morning for your first day on the slopes.

Grab extra oxygen

All the grocery stores and convenience stores in high-elevation towns sell small oxygen canisters, albeit at steep prices, but they are available. Altitude sickness is caused by the effects of a low-oxygen environment. Some deep breaths of pure O2 can help offset some of those effects. It can reduce your risk of altitude sickness and help relieve symptoms if you’ve already got a headache.

This tip is far from necessary and only for people prone to altitude sickness. Although, like with most things, it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

If you think you think you’ll want an oxygen boost, they are a lot cheaper on Amazon.

Try medication

Speak to your doctor if you are interested in medication for altitude sickness, as there is nothing over the counter that is proven to work. If you have a heart condition, it is unlikely you will be prescribed medication for this, and you are at a higher risk of altitude sickness. If this sounds like you, I’d opt for a beach vacation instead of a mountain one.

If not, Diamox, aka Acetazolamide, is the most common medication for altitude sickness. It is a prescription you start taking a few days beforehand and throughout your trip. Consult your doctor to see if this is a good option for you. It can prevent altitude-related sleep apnea and reduce the risks of altitude sickness.

Now that we have covered what you can do to prevent altitude sickness let’s talk about what you should not do.

TOP THINGS TO AVOID AT HIGH ALTITUDES

Sleeping at a high elevation

This may seem silly and similar to the gaining elevation slowly tip since if you are reading this article, you are likely planning on sleeping at a place with high elevation.

However, some ski resorts offer cabins on the mountains, and some are at quite a bit higher elevations than the towns below. You always want to sleep and spend as much time as possible at lower elevations to avoid altitude sickness. Even 1000 feet can make a difference.

In addition, avoid eating lunch on top of the mountains. Not only will lunch be obscenely priced up there, but spending that break at the lower elevation is better.

Alcohol

As fun as it is to get drunk on vacation, alcohol is poison and dehydrates you. If you drink on your ski vacation, I’d recommend moderation. Outside of moderation, it would be best to wait until you are off the mountain to start drinking. You’ll get drunk much faster as well, so one water for each alcoholic beverage is a good rule of thumb.

In addition, hangovers cause headaches, and if you are trying to avoid altitude sickness, the first sign is generally a headache. You don’t want to hide those symptoms because if you don’t take steps to prevent them, the more problematic symptoms may sneak up on you.

Eating before bed

There is a lot of crazy mumbo jumbo on the internet about why you shouldn’t eat before bed. People seem to think it will make you gain weight and sleep less. There isn’t much validity to that.

However, at high altitudes, our biggest struggle is proper oxygen utilization. The body uses oxygen during digestion. So we don’t want to add additional oxygen demands on your body when it is in low supply.

Some people experience high altitude-related sleep apnea during their few nights in the mountains, and eating big meals right before bed can worsen it.

Intense exercise

I know you may only have a few days in town and want to conquer a 14er or skin up past the gondola to ride from the summit. Don’t do it on your first day.

Intense exercise is the surest way to get altitude sickness. Trust me, I know from experience. Before moving to the Rockies, I came a few times on vacation and rock climbed my way straight to a painful headache and a long nap. Altitude sickness sucks, and don’t let it happen to you.

On a ski or snowboarding vacation, you should work up to time on the mountain. On the first day, go for two or three hours, eat lunch, take a long break, and see how you feel before returning to the slopes. The next day, stay out longer.

Remember, just because you are on a three-day vacation doesn’t mean you must ride the whole time.

You are going on vacation, ride for a bit, and then enjoy the hot tub and the company.