Planning to climb a mountain during your vacation? Make 6 important preparations beforehand to enjoy the beauty of Mount Everest

Before climbing a mountain over 3,000 meters high, you should do pre-trip exercises, train your cardiopulmonary function, replenish carbohydrates before the trip, and have complete equipment; in addition, you must also take sun protection and mosquito repellent measures, carry enough medicines, and it is even more important to pay attention to climate change.

There are more than a hundred mountains in Taiwan with an altitude of more than 3,000 meters. Climbing to appreciate the beauty of the mountains has gradually become a trend among the Chinese people. The clear and cool autumn weather is especially suitable for climbing mountains. However, negligence may also cause physical problems or even endanger one's life. What preparations should you make before climbing a mountain so that you can enjoy the fun of climbing with peace of mind? What might happen if you climb a mountain over 3,000 meters above sea level without any preparation? What serious consequences will it cause?

Wang Lukai, attending physician of the family medicine department of Hanming Christian Hospital, said that without prior self-training, the biggest fear when suddenly challenging a mountain is altitude sickness. Altitude sickness is a symptom that occurs when the body is unable to adapt to the increased altitude due to the reduced amount of oxygen. The higher the mountain you climb, the greater the chance of occurrence.

Without experience and preparation, you may lose your life if you climb high without any preparation.

Altitude sickness can be divided into high-altitude cerebral edema and high-altitude pulmonary edema, both of which can be fatal. At the beginning, you will feel headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and physical weakness. If two or more of these symptoms occur, it may be acute mild mountain sickness. At this time, you should immediately move to a lower altitude. Most people can recover.

If the condition is severe enough to be accompanied by symptoms of high altitude cerebral edema or pulmonary edema such as unsteady gait, difficulty breathing, impaired judgment or hallucinations, it may be life-threatening if not treated immediately. Altitude sickness is caused by insufficient oxygen. If you do aerobic exercise regularly, your hemoglobin will have sufficient oxygen transport capacity and the chance of it occurring can be reduced.

In case of emergency, in addition to lowering the altitude and not forcing yourself to continue your journey, you can prepare medicine in advance. It is recommended to go to a family doctor or travel medicine clinic and ask the doctor to evaluate and prescribe preventive medicine, including: Diamox (acetazolamide, a diuretic), the steroid "dexamethasone" (which can relieve the symptoms of cerebral edema), and Viagra and Cialis (vasodilators that can reduce pulmonary hypertension and prevent high-altitude pulmonary edema, but at your own expense).

Insufficient warm clothing, be careful of getting cold due to rain

Hypothermia is also a common cause of mountain accidents. Earlier this year, the famous 36-year-old "bikini climber" Wu Jiyun died while climbing. In addition to being unable to move due to injuries, the rain and low temperatures may have caused hypothermia and her unfortunate death. Abnormal temperatures and air pressures in the mountains can easily cause harm. In the winter, it is too cold and we are afraid of hypothermia, while in the summer, it is too hot and we are afraid of heatstroke. The prevention methods are as follows: first, wear enough warm clothes and change into dry clothes if you get wet; to prevent heatstroke, you must drink enough water.

What preparations should you make before climbing a mountain?

1. Exercise before traveling to train your cardiopulmonary function

• Running a marathon: Mountain climbing is very similar to marathon running. It is recommended to start preparing for a marathon three months in advance, and the same is true for mountain climbing. Three months before the trip, you can choose to run a marathon as training, at least the distance of a half marathon, to train your cardiopulmonary function.

• Start at a low altitude: for example, climb a 1,000-meter mountain first, then a 2,000-meter mountain. After climbing a few mountains, challenge a mountain over 3,000 meters. Mountains with a low altitude of 1,000 meters include Yangming Mountain in the north, Bagua Mountain Range in the middle, Chai Mountain in the south, etc.

• Aerobic exercise: such as swimming, cycling, etc. As long as the heart rate during exercise reaches more than 130 beats per minute, aerobic exercise is helpful. However, walking and yoga (which have limited effect on cardiopulmonary function training) are not suitable as self-training options before climbing.

2. Strengthen carbohydrate supplementation before traveling

• Maintain good eating habits. One week before climbing, you should avoid eating too greasy or spicy food, smoking or drinking, and try to eat a light diet.

In addition, you must have enough carbohydrates three days before climbing a mountain. The Mediterranean diet is a great choice. Eating more dietary fiber can prevent chronic diseases and cancer. However, the Mediterranean low-carb diet is not suitable three days before climbing a mountain, because in order to have enough glycogen, you need to supplement your glycogen, that is, supplement a large amount of carbohydrates, so that it can be converted into calories to provide enough physical energy when climbing.

3. Fully equipped

• If you are traveling back and forth on the same day, make sure you have enough warm clothing. Choose clothes made of lightweight, sweat-wicking materials. Light-colored clothes are preferred (they absorb less heat and are more conspicuous in the summer).

• It is best to wear special hiking shoes. Ordinary sneakers are not hard enough and can easily cause injuries due to collisions with rocks.

• Carrying mobile phones and lithium batteries.

• If you want to spend the night, tents and other equipment should be complete, and sufficient dry food and water must also be prepared.

• Food preparation principles: mainly carbohydrates such as chocolate and biscuits. You can also bring energy gels to supplement calories like running a marathon (available at mountaineering equipment stores). It is not recommended to bring fruits to mountains with too high altitudes because the high dietary fiber is difficult to digest.

4. Take sun protection and mosquito prevention measures

It is recommended to choose sunscreen with SPF50++ or above. As for mosquito repellents, the government has approved two types: those containing DEET and Picaridin.

5. Keep your medication ready

In addition to drugs to prevent altitude sickness, people who are taking long-term medications must bring their medications with them; if you have ever had a myocardial infarction and really want to try mountain climbing, you must prepare nitroglycerin for use in emergencies. Of course, it is best to ask a doctor for evaluation before traveling. If the condition does not allow it, do not force it.

6. Be aware of climate change

Start paying attention to weather forecasts one week before your trip. If there are typhoons or heavy rain reports, you should carefully assess the risks and do not insist on going, especially in winter when heavy rain occurs and hypothermia can easily occur.

Which groups should avoid climbing mountains?

Which ethnic groups or people with certain diseases are not suitable for mountain climbing? Wang Lukai particularly emphasized that patients with heart disease, arrhythmia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (easy breathlessness), etc. are not suitable for mountain climbing; in addition, patients with epilepsy who require long-term medication control should also avoid it.

Is it less recommended as you get older? Age is not the main factor. It still depends on the individual physical condition. Some people in their 60s and 70s are just as good as young people in running marathons. In principle, age is not the biggest problem. What needs to be considered is that mountain climbing is a strenuous sport. If an elderly person gets sick on the mountain, it will be difficult to get him to the hospital, which may lead to serious consequences. If you intend to try it, you must have a detailed plan beforehand.

Don't challenge mountains that are too steep and prone to accidents

• Avoid acting alone. "Bikini climbers" act alone. When something happens, they will not have the help of their companions and will lose the chance to save their lives.

• If it is your first time climbing a mountain, it is better to have someone with more experience with you, as it is safer.

• Do not attempt to climb particularly steep mountains that are prone to accidents and are rarely climbed by climbers unless you have enough experience. You can choose a high mountain with more climbers, which will have trails and ropes, making the climbing process safer. Taiwan has high mountains such as Yushan and Hehuanshan. Summer is the best season for climbing, with altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 meters. Autumn is more suitable for climbing.

This article is excerpted from Changchun Monthly Issue 440