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The climber Francisco Martin lies in a hypoxic tent as he prepares to climb the Mount Everest in 2021 | Credit: Getty Images
About 800 people try to climb the Mount Everest every year, preventing extreme conditions for the opportunity to say that they were at the top of the world.
Along with the strict physical and mental training, hope must be prepared for the painful effects of the height of the highest mountain on Earth, where the amount of oxygen taken with every breath is drastically smaller than at sea level.
Traditionally, climbers acclimated themselves, spending considerable time in the mountains, going up and down to prepare their bodies for dizzying heights and reduce the effects of altitude. This tried and tested method has proven to be effective for the last 70 years of Everest expeditions, but it comes with one major drawback: time.
Without four to six weeks to devote the acclimatization, many hopes of Everest now turn to modern technology to help them prepare, sleep and exercise in specialized acclimatizing “hypoxic” tents that eliminate the need to spend months in the mountains.
“You sleep like a garbage if you are not acclimated, you lose your appetite so you dry away
Brian Ostriki, CEO of Systems Altitude Systems Hypoxico
As alien as it may sound, hypoxic tents, otherwise known as tents for altitudes, are becoming more common in recent years, used by climbers and climbers to prepare for difficult conditions.
This year, a group of British veterans of the forties, and their fifties used hypoxic tents in combination with controversial xenon gas to climb the mountain mountain by summarizing a record four days after arriving in Nepal and effectively passed from sea level to London to the highest peak of 5 days.
The very next day, US mountaineer Andrew Ushakov claims to have broken his record after spending over 400 hours, acclianding in a hypoxic tent. Ushakov says he went from New York to the Everest summit in just 3 days, 23 hours and 27 minutes.
So, what are hypoxic tents and how can they help climbers achieve these ever -outlined feats? Read about everything you need to know.
What is a hypoxic tent?
To put it simply, hypoxic tents imitate the low levels of oxygen in the middle of high altitude.
The air at sea level contains 20.9% affordable oxygen, a number that decreases dramatically, the higher you get. It drops to about 10.4%in the Everest base camp. Only one -third of the accessible oxygen coefficient at a regular sea level is reduced to the summit.
In healthy individuals, the levels of oxygen saturation in the blood are about 98% to 100% at sea level. At altitude, this number drops to approximately 87% to 92%, it has a weakening effect and can cause a disease at altitude.
Hypoxic tents simulate this mixture with a generator or pump that removes oxygen and replaces it with nitrogen, reducing the amount of oxygen in the air to height levels.
Sleeping in the simulated conditions at an altitude of a hypoxic tent triggers your body to saturate your blood oxygen levels, releasing red blood cells and preparing your system for conditions at 20,000 feet (6,096 m).
Akash Negi sits in a hypoxic tent in preparation for its meeting at the top of Mount Everest 2021 | Credit: Getty Images
Why do climbers use hypoxic tents?
“While exposing yourself to altitude, your kidneys release Epo [erythropoietin]Which begins this physiological change, which leads to an increase in red blood cells, but even more so in a better ability to transport and use oxygen, “tells us Brian Estrik, CEO of Sypoxico Systems Systems.
Alpinists like Ushakov use hypoxic tents to prepare for the unforgivable mountain conditions at the top of the highest peaks of the globe. The saturation of your blood oxygen levels can be useful in several ways, reducing the risk of altitude and preparing your body for tiring effects at altitude.
“You improve your comfort and a safety margin as you climb through the mountains,” Oestrike explains. “You sleep like a garbage, if you are not acclimated, you lose your appetite, so you dry as these things happen. By acclimation in advance and using this equipment, you can compensate for your expedition, it improves your safety and your comfort.”
By imitation of severe alpine conditions, hypoxic tents can reduce the time required to acclimatize.
“Most people, if they go to the Himalayas, historically have an expedition route of six to eight weeks,” Estrik continues. “It takes as much time when your body is slowly adapting and building red blood cells that carry oxygen and allow you to climb safely.”
Kilian Jornet, competing in the Pierra Menta Backcountry ski race | Credit: Getty Images
Superstar of superstar Kilian Jornet slept in a hypoxic tent for eight weeks before his maiden climb to Mount Everest, imitating a height of 13,000 feet (3 962 m) to 16,000 feet (4.877 m) without leaving the sea level.
He then became the fastest person to climb alone and without oxygen, spinning the Begemot of 29,000 feet (8 850 m) in just 26 hours.
The restrictions of hypoxic tents
Although they are becoming more popular with climbers and other extreme athletes, hypoxic tents have their limitations and experts say they cannot believe as the sole method of acclimatization.
“This is not complete acclimatization. I would say that this is the first step,” says Gregyar Milet, a professor of physiology of exercise at the Institute of Sports Sciences in Lausanne, France.
He explains that even after months of sleep in a hypoxic tent, “you will use some acclimatization, but not the full spectrum. You can be fully acclimated in the tent and not acclimated to the true mountain.”
In other words, hypoxic tents cannot fully prepare the body for the rigor and difficulties in climbing a very high altitude. In the Himalayas, Elite Climbers (and Paying Clients) on Expeditions Aiming for the Highest Peaks Enter What is Known as the Death Zone, An Extremely Dangous Bels, 26,247FT (8,000m) Temperatures Potentially Tumbling to -31 ° F (-35 ° C) and Highly Technical Terrain, The Oxygen in the Air is so SOY’S Impossible for Humans to Survive For Long.
Hypoxic tents are increasingly used by climbers to prepare for the Mount Everest | Credit: Alami
“You have to go to the real mountain for at least a few days before traveling,” advises Miletus, an expert on the technology for acclimation.
He advises climbers to use tents in combination with traditional acclimatization methods, such as sleeping on a fewer mountains before dealing with any basic peaks.
“It’s better to use tents, and then before you go to the Himalayas, it is recommended that you go to the Alps for at least a few days,” he says.
He says that your body acclimates differently at a real altitude, and despite their many benefits, hypoxic tents cannot completely repeat the difficult conditions and lack of oxygen in the mountains.
Who else uses hypoxic tents?
Not only mountaineers use hypoxic tents well. All types of sports people, from swimmers to football players, use simulated altitude to expand their physical abilities and gain access to the benefits of altitude training.
“If you can transport and use oxygen better, it leads to better benefits than performance and literally just more oxygen consumption,” Oestrike says.
French skier skier Simon Valverde trains in a hypoxic tent | Credit: Getty Images
“Most of the elite athletes have a hypoxic camera at home,” Millet adds.
“It’s not a tent, but it’s a real camera. It’s the same idea, you reduce the oxygen concentration in the room.”
Through training and sleep at altitude, athletes can increase what is known as their hemoglobin mass, which increases the amount of oxygen they can use during exercise.
As Miletus explains, this requires significantly more time than mountain acclimatization: “Every 100 hours sleep in the tent, you will increase your hemoglobin by one percent.”
Each member of the American Olympic Comb Quad, who won gold at the Paris Games 2024.
Do you need a hypoxic tent?
Although intended for elite athletes, hypoxic tents can be useful for outdoor enthusiasts of all abilities, helping to build fitness and enhance training.
As for climbing, Estrik suggests that hypoxic tents are even more useful for lovers than professionals.
“Most people who are engaged at 8,000 m (26,247 feet) know what they are coming into, they know what the workout looks like and know what is needed to prepare.
“High-level athletes are already training super intense. So the person who is more modest and maybe he should lose weight, they will see the bigger upwards.”
Of course, hypoxic tents are not required for easy and district climbs. Neither are they absolutely important to climb giants like Mount Everest. Traditional, slower acclimatization has proven to be an effective, stressed alpine training method.
Rather, hypoxic tents are an additional and convenient method of acclimatization to be used in conjunction with high increase and intensive training.
You can read our exclusive interview with Andrew Ushakov here.
For more information on climbing preparation, see our expert guidance.
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