Is it hard to breathe in Denver? (Boulder: camp, medical)

[yourpalincal]

On our way to Minneapolis, we'll be stopping in Denver. Will it be hard to breathe? Will there at least be a difference in the air?

Thanks.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Not unless you have a serious medical condition.

[Legs1357]

OP--you might get winded a little easier but unless you're planning on stopping and then doing hike up to 15,000 feet it shouldn't be a problem.

[Micktooth]

Originally Posted by yourpalincal

On our way to Minneapolis, we'll be stopping in Denver. Will it be hard to breathe? Will there at least be a difference in the air?

Thanks.

You might notice a little difference if you are just visiting for the day. If you moved here, there would be some adjustment. If you are not doing anything strenuous, you might not notice it at all. Just drink a lot of water and keep some Advil on hand for possible headaches.
Are you going to be doing anything involving strenuous work? Enjoy your stay here.

[FoRuMRideR420]

No. You may feel a little more out of breath after some stairs or something but you will get used to it

[tfox]

Truth be told, the aridity here is normally more of a culprit for the lightheadedness some feel that our elevation, which at 5280 feet is really not very high. Although lately, we've had unusually wet weather so that may not be much of a factor either.

[80skeys]

Only if you have a problem with high altitude, which most people don't.

Originally Posted by yourpalincal

On our way to Minneapolis, we'll be stopping in Denver. Will it be hard to breathe? Will there at least be a difference in the air?

Thanks.

[Sneaks88]

I have asthma and grew up in Colorado but I have never really had too much difficulty. In fact when I was a kid I went to camp in the mountains specifically for kids that had asthma, so unless you have some kind of medical condition you should be fine.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by FoRuMRideR420

No. You may feel a little more out of breath after some stairs or something but you will get used to it

We moved from sea level (Florida) to Denver 2 years ago and I remember it well. My family is in decent shape. We do exercise but are hardly Olympians. When we moved here, we used to laugh because just climbing stairs would make us winded. We used to leave piles at the bottom and bring them upstairs ONLY if we were going up for another reason. It now seems funny as I go up and down the stairs probably a hundred times a day.

My family came a few weeks ago for a visit and they are from Washington state. They noticed the change immediately (and even more so when we went to the mountains), especially my Grandpa who has a heart condition. He walks every day for exercise but found himself having to really take it easy when we walked around in Denver.

The biggest thing you'll probably notice is that you'll have a headache. You must drink water (and probably more than you think necessary). Depending on your fitness level (and probably even then), you will notice that it takes a little more effort to do simple things (climbing stairs/walking uphill). That only lasts for a while and eventually your body just gets used to it and you will function like you normally do.

[iskray917]

No. Honestly, I did some considerable hiking near Boulder and didn't even feel anything. I guess it depends on your physical condition though.