At what altitude does one first notice feeling more out of breath? (run, mountain)
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It is well documented that football players coming from sea level to Denver get winded quicker. In the context of your question I would say 5,000 ft because a hike is not that strenuous. But for more strenuous activity I would say 3,000 ft.
It is noteworthy that there is a much bigger percentage differential in oxygen concentration going from 5,000 ft to 10,000 ft. (about 12% less O2), then there is going from sea level to 5,000 ft (about 7% less O2). Percentages above are estimates.
My in-laws live in Estes Park CO, above the town at just under 8,000ft. My wife and I used to live in WV and traveled to CO every year for vacations. We always had a day of rest before we started hiking.
That being said, most years I did not suffer much at all. A few times I would get a mild headache the first day but not debilitating. One year I did get hit HARD with AMS while hiking at about 10,000. Severe headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, puking... It was pretty nasty. I had to rest, hydrate like hell and get back down to Estes pretty fast.
My wife and I now live in Montana at 4,000' and we don't suffer at all. I've had friends come out from back east and they were out of breath just around town and at 6,000'..
I don't think there is any 'magic' number as far as altitude is concerned, however I would say 8,000 is where I could feel the difference.
lol! Yeah, but when I leave Denver and work out at sea level (I go to San Francisco a few times a year for work), I feel like Superman!
Absolutely true! OP, it depends on your individual physiology. Some very fit individuals come to Denver and feel absolutely awful, while some couch potatoes feel fine. In any case, it's a safe bet that you will at least notice a difference at a mile above sea level. Hemoglobin levels adjust upward to account for the lower levels of oxygen over the course of a few months.
Like many others who have commented, I think it varies by person. Lived in Denver for 3 years and 5,280 was unnoticeable to me. Also owned a place in the mountains that was at 9,700 ft, and that was an elevation that winded me when climbing stairs. Around 8,000 was where I felt the difference.
But, some of the statements about 13K (and especially 16K) seem a bit off base to me. Those are really high elevations, even by Colorado standards. People who don't feel it until then are very few and far between, I would think.
Last edited by Texas Ag 93; 04-25-2016 at 06:09 PM..
If you are coming from the NJ/NY area, Colorado is a fine place for an altitude headache. I won't be exercising until at least the second or third day of the trip out there. I need some time to acclimatize. It's not Everest, but you feel the difference fast.
At what altitude does someone (in decent physical shape) first start to notice the effects of breathing thiner air of higher elevations?
Maybe not exactly what you're asking, but, perhaps related:
Altitude sickness generally only happens above 2,400 meters (8,000 feet).
And as far as I know, it doesn't happen to everyone equally. That is, of course people in better shape do better, generally, with adjusting/acclimating to higher altitudes.
Nonetheless, I have read/heard some people say that genetics plays a role, to some extent, in determining whether (at what altitudes) we suffer from altitude sickness.
I do a lot of climbing, but, have been no higher than 4,000 meters (just a bit more than 13,123 feet). I have seen people as fit as myself suffer from the effects of altitude even as I have yet to feel any effects. Of course, should I continue to climb and seek higher altitudes, I would expect to feel varying degrees of effect, eventually.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93
Like many others who have commented, I think it varies by person. Lived in Denver for 3 years and 5,280 was unnoticeable to me. Also owned a place in the mountains that was at 9,700 ft, and that was an elevation that winded me when climbing stairs. Around 8,000 was where I felt the difference.
But, some of the statements about 13K ... seem a bit off base to me. Those are really high elevations, even by Colorado standards. People who don't feel it until then are very few and far between, I would think.
I'm not sure about that. As I posted above, I do lots of climbing at about 13K feet, and I know many people who do the same without feeling any effects at all. Yes, I have seen others suffer from the effects, but, they are the minority, in my experience.
Maybe not exactly what you're asking, but, perhaps related:
Altitude sickness generally only happens above 2,400 meters (8,000 feet).
And as far as I know, it doesn't happen to everyone equally. That is, of course people in better shape do better, generally, with adjusting/acclimating to higher altitudes.
Nonetheless, I have read/heard some people say that genetics plays a role, to some extent, in determining whether (at what altitudes) we suffer from altitude sickness.
I do a lot of climbing, but, have been no higher than 4,000 meters (just a bit more than 13,123 feet). I have seen people as fit as myself suffer from the effects of altitude even as I have yet to feel any effects. Of course, should I continue to climb and seek higher altitudes, I would expect to feel varying degrees of effect, eventually.
I'm not sure about that. As I posted above, I do lots of climbing at about 13K feet, and I know many people who do the same without feeling any effects at all. Yes, I have seen others suffer from the effects, but, they are the minority, in my experience.
What elevation do you live at? That'd make a huge difference I'm sure
It is well documented that football players coming from sea level to Denver get winded quicker. In the context of your question I would say 5,000 ft because a hike is not that strenuous. But for more strenuous activity I would say 3,000 ft.
It is noteworthy that there is a much bigger percentage differential in oxygen concentration going from 5,000 ft to 10,000 ft. (about 12% less O2), then there is going from sea level to 5,000 ft (about 7% less O2). Percentages above are estimates.
There is the same amount of relative oxygen present in the air at 5000' vs. 10,000' vs 25,000'. The % doesn't change.
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