A revolutionary new altitude acclimatisation technique promises to
give the physiological benefits of climbing high on Everest
without ever leaving the lowlands of north Manchester and our man,
Dave Mycroft, is trying it out.
|
|
|
Dave at Camp 2 on
Everest
well, in his head ;-)
|
The promise of performance increases for sportsmen and climbers are
obvious - a body adapted to breathing air with a lower oxygen content
will go even better at sea level - but we reckon it could perhaps also
benefit trekkers with a limited holiday time by allowing them to
pre-acclimatise before, say, flying out to the Himalayas.
The programme, developed by New Zealand company 'IO' uses a
technique known as IHT to get you used to breathing the thinner air
found at altitudes from 4500m to 6600m.
Over three weeks, Dave will be spending half an hour a day
breathing air through a mask. The oxygen content of the air is
gradually reduced from around 20 per-cent at sea level to only 8
per-cent by the end of the course, the equivalent of 6,600
metres.
Dave's going to be training regularly over the course of the
programme, comparing his indoor experiences with real high altitude
experience on Aconcagua and making subjective assessments of how he
feels.
We'll be backing that up with objective laboratory tests on his
blood composition and adaptation so, at the end of it all, we'll be
able to tell you exactly how well the technique has worked. Then
we're going to take him out and work him over on a mountain bike for
a more realistic assessment, but psst, don't tell him that.
The course finishes next week with full benefits due to kick in
some ten days later, so watch this space for a detailed article on
how it all went and what the implications are for mountaineers and
trekkers.
