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do I understand it correctly that the same training options I'm asking about in this question will apply to coping low pressure in high mountains (and will therefore minimize risk of different kind of altitude sicknesses for most of the people)? No, there isn't any training you can do that will have any effect on altitude sickness. – Ben Crowell Jan 22 '14 at 22:29
up vote 7 down vote accepted


  1. Blood doping
  2. Low pressure chamber treatments


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General fitness doesn't affect your chances of getting AMS, HAPE, or HACE. – Ben Crowell Jan 22 '14 at 22:28
@furtive Would you consider deleting your answer please? I do search and rescue in the California mountains and being in better shape does not change your risk of AMS. This is a common, but dangerous misconception. My wife is a doctor and she backs me up. If you can, please check page 4 of Wilderness medicine: – theJollySin Jun 3 '15 at 19:51
Furtive - I have edited out the first sentence of your answer, as the research appears to show that it is false. The rest of the post seems grand. Please comment here if you have any queries/challenge – Rory Alsop Jun 4 '15 at 13:11

I thought that a sportsman has more red blood cells because his body needs more oxygen during peak performance. Working out uses up oxygen, and breathing hard is required to get more oxygen into your body. This demand for oxygen stimulates red blood cell production, and lowers the age of red blood cells. The result is that a sportsman has more oxygen carrying capacity. Therefore an athlete can deal better with low oxygen at high altitude.

However, it has no effect on high altitude disease, which is caused by the pressure difference.

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The consequence of what you are describing is that it would have an positive effect on high altitude disease. Yes it has to do with pressure difference and this lower partial pressure lets you get less oxygen in the blood. So the athlete should have a benefit which is said to be false. – Wills Jun 3 '15 at 21:39
As far as I know, it is true that the sportsman has higher blood cell levels, but not significantly enough to make a substantial difference in getting AMS at high altitude. So in studies no link has been found between activity and chances to get AMS. But technically, that does not imply hat there is no such effect either! – imsodin Jun 4 '15 at 16:50

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