I hear you Franco on the heredity & altitude adaptation thing. I've never had any problems with altitude except the aerobically, now that I'm 66. And that is still mainly down to needing more aerobic training. But, hey, ya lose roughly 1% of your lung function every year after age twenty, so they say, so I guess age does play a role too.

I DO take NO2 (General Nutrition Center's time released L-Arginine) and it does make a definite difference in upping my O2 uptake due to it's stimulation of the production of nitrIC oxide gas. It dialates capillaries, arterioles & vennules.
When I forget to take it at altitude I soon notice that I forgot it.

Eric