Going higher means less oxygen. To ascend mountains safely, proper acclimatisation is crucial. Here are key strategies for adapting to altitude.

1. Educate yourself on the common symptoms of altitude sickness like headaches, nausea, fatigue, and dizziness so you can recognize them promptly. Recognising the signs early is key to prevention and treatment.

2. Limit your vertical ascent to no more than 300-500 metres per day once above 2500m elevation. Going higher than this daily limit does not allow enough time for your body to acclimatise and increases your risk of altitude sickness.

3. Ascend to higher elevations during the day, then descend to lower elevations for sleeping. This allows you to acclimatize to the altitude while avoiding oxygen deprivation during sleep.

4. For every 1000 metres in elevation gained, plan to spend an extra day acclimatising before gaining any more elevation. This staged ascent allows your body more time to adjust to the lower oxygen levels.

5. When you first arrive at altitude, avoid overexertion and strenuous activity for at least the first 48 hours. This allows your body to acclimatise and adjust to the altitude before adding the strain of intense exercise.

6. Avoid making major changes to your regular caffeine intake when ascending to altitude. Cutting out caffeine completely can lead to withdrawal headaches that may mimic altitude sickness.

Learn more on acclimatizing and altitude illnesses in our Basic Wilderness Life Support course.