AltitudePhysiology.org | High Altitude

Many thousands of people travel to high altitude each year to trek, climb and ski. The environment is completely different at high altitude compared to that at sea level – the air is thinner and temperatures are usually much colder. In order to survive at high altitude, it is necessary to acclimatise (acclimate). This means that changes occur in the body so that it can cope with the shortage of oxygen.

You can find out exactly how much less oxygen there is in the atmosphere at any altitude by clicking on our interactive altitude graph. Click on these links if you want to know more about how the body acclimatises to high altitude, or about altitude sickness or acute mountain sickness, high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) and high altitude cerebral oedema (HACE). You can learn more about exercise at high altitude and why some athletes undertake altitude training.

Altitude Tutorials

High Altitude