Put safety first on your trip to the mountains

The Leh (Ladakh) administration recently made it mandatory for tourists to undergo 48 hours of acclimatisation before heading to higher altitudes. The decision was taken keeping in mind the frequent reports of tourists falling sick or even dying from high altitude sickness and the spate in tourist inflow in recent months. Ironically, most tourists who visit high-altitude destinations such as

Ladakh

, North Sikkim, Spiti Valley and

Bumla Pass

in Arunachal, among others, hardly know much about or are prepared to tackle high altitude sickness. “Till 10,000 to 12,000 feet, people are usually fine. But most high-altitude passes are several thousand feet above this height. That’s when the problems start, especially when one travels without precautions,” said senior mountaineer Basanta Singha

Roy

— who has scaled Mt Kanchenjunga and Mt Everest, among other major

summits

.

SEVERAL ENCOUNTERS WITH HIGH ALTITUDE SICKNESS

Vlogger and musician

Sawan Dutta

told us that she has had brushes with altitude sickness on several occasions. She recalled, “Two decades ago, when we used to live in Delhi, my husband and I would drive off to the mountains quite frequently. My first brush with altitude sickness was on a drive to Rohtang Pass. My husband was filming something and I rushed across a narrow road to help him. I suddenly felt dizzy and almost passed out. I had a splitting headache for the rest of the drive,” she told us, adding that they recently visited high altitudes again. “This time, we had some serious cardiac episodes behind us. We spoke to our cardiologists, did all check-ups, made sure oxygen was available at the destination and followed all acclimatisation rules. We had a memorable trip without any complications,” she said.

SYMPTOMS OF HIGH-ALTITUDE SICKNESS

Altitude sickness has many symptoms and covers three major issues — Acute mountain sickness (AMS), High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), High-altitude cerebral edema (

HACE

). The common symptoms are: Headache, Dizziness, Nausea, Loss of appetite, Lethargy,

Breathlessness

, Blackouts, Vomiting

REMEDIES FOR HIGH ALTITUDE SICKNESS

According to mountaineer Basanta Singha Roy, once altitude sickness starts to set in, the ideal and the only option is to take the person down to a lower altitude. “But if there are minor symptoms like headache and breathlessness, give your body time to acclimatise,” he said.

*Symptoms of high altitude sickness are often difficult to identify. So listen to your body. If you’re

having trouble breathing or feel dizzy, avoid any kind of activity and relax.

*Hardly any medicine helps in case of acute altitude sickness. If the affected person cannot sleep, eat or walk in a straight line, then the best thing to do is to take him to a lower altitude where the oxygen level is higher.

*Before going on a trip to high altitudes, consult your doctor if you have any health conditions. Only the doctors knowing your medical history are qualified to decide whether it’s wise for you to go on a

high-altitude trip or not.

HOW TO ACCLIMATISE?

Mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta (atop

Uhuru

peak on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in pic), the first from India to climb the Seven Summits as well as Volcanic Seven Summits, said the only natural way to beat high altitude sickness is acclimatisation. “Those who stay in the plains and visit high altitudes suddenly need time to get in tune. Giving our bodies that time is acclimatisation,” he said. Here’s what he suggests tourists on a tight schedule should do to acclimatise.

Take it slow: Ideally, one should not climb more than 1,500 metres a day. After arriving, don’t head straight to the hotel and lie down.

Do not be hyperactive: Due to the low oxygen levels, too much activity pushes up your oxygen requirement.

Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water because you constantly sweat under your woollens. Also, don’t climb on an empty stomach.

Wear multiple layers of clothing: This way, you can remove one or two layers if needed. Avoid cotton in the inner layer because it soaks sweat. Use synthetic material instead.

Cover your feet, neck and head: Your head and feet dissipate most heat, so insulate them with woollens. Keep your ears open.

GO FOR BLOOD TESTS BEFORE A HIGH-ALTITUDE TRIP, says Dr Sumit Suresh Mandale,

an assistant doctor at Everest base camp

Fitness is the key when it comes to mountaineers who attempt summiting 8,000-metre-plus peaks. But when it comes to tourists, they must do a complete haemogram test to know about their overall blood count. At a high altitude, one’s body tries to increase haemoglobin to counter the low oxygen level. So, if a person is anaemic, then it would take much longer time to acclimatise.

In case of high altitude sickness, one should go for symptomatic treatment. If you are suffering from headaches, take ibuprofen or paracetamol. For nausea, domperidone is effective. But if you must take an altitude sickness medicine like acetazolamide, do it after consulting a doctor because it has

side effects.

A FEW THINGS TO KEEP CLOSE AT HAND

*Medicines and injections

*Nuts and chocolate

*Water with ORS

*Camphor

*Ginger slices