Altitude Acclimation - Do it at home?

Ok - I'm not certain how the body works here but...


I was watching this movie about steroid use. Bigger, fasters, stronger or similar name.


In it the guy interviews a cycler who uses his home made altitude chamber. He sleeps in it to build up red blood cells, which help him deliver more oxygen to his body.



Could or do hikers use a device like this? It looked pretty simple. I wonder if this would be especially useful for high alt. mountaineers.



It was basically a huge drain pipe. He used lexan or glass to block the ends reducing the oxygen. At least thats how I saw it, I think he said there were directions to make these on the internet.


Random question here, no I dont need one.

Sounds like a good way to suffucate in your sleep.

I have heard of serious mountaineers carrying a bottle of air with lower O2 content to simulate high altitude.

Many years ago I saw a high altitude simulator that apparently scrubbed oxygen out of the air before you breathed it through a mask, like a jet pilot. You could set this thing by a stationary bike, then ride the bike to simulate various altitudes.

The only way I know to really acclimate is to live at high altitude for a long time like I did. I lived at 11.5K and went up as high as about 18K without much effect that I remember. I wasn't climbing or doing anything in cold weather, so I am sure that makes a big difference.

However, as I have mentioned before, I got really sick and almost died from altitude sickness on two different occasions when I wasn't acclimated, so it is nothing to take lightly.

I wasn't suggesting this to people. Just wondering if anyone had heard of it outside of this movie.


In the movie, the guy doing the interview about steroid use in sports was explaining that steroids aren't legal, but other acts of manipulating your body are. Hence the cycler forcing his body to build red blood cells in the weeks prior to a race.



Anyway, I didnt see how the end caps were built. I assume it has something that reduces air flow to a point where you can breath, but not with the same ease as outside the simulator.



So I googled and didn't see the capusule I was talking about but looks like these runners/cyclist use commercial version of this stuff.

http://www.higherpeak.com/equipment.html

It seems that some endurace athletes like cyclists do this sort of thing more than other endurance athletes, like runners. Not sure why that is. I think it has to do with doing whatever your competitors are doing. Technically its not really altitude acclimation though because its not hypobaric, its just low oxygen.

Here's something you can try at home though folks.
1. Turn the heat down.
2. Learn to sleep with less covers, or even no covers at all.
Good way to boost your basal metabolism and lose some weight.

Of course there's always the backyard, which is even better.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> In Miami, I've had trouble getting ready for hiking at altitude, since the only hill here is the Rickenbacker Causeway, about 80 feet above sea level. I've walked it, run it, and trudged up and down repeatedly with a 40-pound pack. It's just not the same thing with all that oxygen coming in off the Atlantic.

A hiking buddy of mine ordered an Altitude Acclimator from that new Home Shopping Sportsgear Superstore Network -- channel 200-something on cable, and for $19.95 (plus shipping), he appears to have bought on a liquidation, a plastic bag that the sellers must have bought in bulk from some sex-toy manufacturer that went out of business due to the recession -- or because they lost their customer base to asphyxiation. The plastic bag -- made in China, of course -- had a stick-on label with the word "Altitude Acclimator" on it, but with a fingernail and some peeling, underneath I found the original brand name, "Masochistic Stimulator."

I told him to throw that creepy thing away and I'd make us some Altitude Acclimators, which is why I probably should have put this in "Make Your Own Gear."

Just go to your local supermarket and get a proper-sized freezer bag. Most hikers-in-training on this forum can probably get by with the gallon bag. I, on the other hand, have a really fat head and can barely squeeze my noggin' into a Hefty OneZip Jumbo 2.5 Gallon bag. I probably should get one of those Space Bags -- the ones you put your entire wardrobe in and then suck the air out with a shop-vac, but I'm too embarrassed to admit it.


Inexpensive MYOG Altitude Acclimator.

Although oxygen is controlled with that cool, red "OneZip" thing -- and they've conveniently got the directions "<OPEN" and "CLOSED>" on the bag's zipper at the neck, I find it helpful to cut one-inch diameter holes in the bag, each equivalent to about a 1,000 feet of altitude. With the holes in mine, I'm now hiking Kilimanjaro (15K feet.)


Strategic placement of the white "contents" label can provide a needed sunvisor in tropical climes.

It's really been a great help while hiking the Rickenbacker. I'm breathing harder, I feel like I'm getting a free Swedish face-sauna (multi-use!), and other bridge walkers and bike riders give me a wide berth (since apparently some smash-&-grab bandits here are using the same modus operandi -- or at least attire).

In summation: [color:"red"] <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> Everyone KNOWS this is a joke. DO NOT try this at home.[/color]