Are the serious health implications caused by hypoxia worth the emotional fulfilment of summiting at high altitude? In Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, the severely hypoxic climbers atop Mount Everest fall victim to a series of fatal mistakes that result in the tragic death of fifteen climbers in the spring of 1996. Serious health implications including AMS, HAPE, and HACE weigh heavily on a climbers decision to summit at high altitude despite the recent technological improvements in modern mountaineering.
AMS, or acute mountain sickness, is a broad description of the myriad ailments that plague those who push themselves at high altitude. An important piece of information to be aware of is that "the common feature in all types of altitude illnesses is the onset of hypoxia, a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the body's, particularly the brain, where there …show more content…
In truth, [he] wanted to climb the mountain as badly as [he had] ever wanted anything in [his] life” (Krakauer 88). Summing up the magnetism of mountaineering, is the abstruse combination of divinity and danger. Climbing has always cultivated a sense of freedom and adventure in its followers, and yet, in some cases, only a thin line separates calamity from conquest. Because of this, society has always been enchanted with mountaineering. If a climber is able to overlook the inevitable health complications that accompany high altitude, with the advent of new equipment and technologies they have the opportunity to summit a massive peak. In fact, the safety and challenge of mountaineering is limited by the height of the mountains themselves. Thus, wise climbers choose a level that is appropriate for them--although some choose the most difficult climbs simply to push the limits of the
AMS, or acute mountain sickness, is a broad description of the myriad ailments that plague those who push themselves at high altitude. An important piece of information to be aware of is that "the common feature in all types of altitude illnesses is the onset of hypoxia, a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the body's, particularly the brain, where there …show more content…
In truth, [he] wanted to climb the mountain as badly as [he had] ever wanted anything in [his] life” (Krakauer 88). Summing up the magnetism of mountaineering, is the abstruse combination of divinity and danger. Climbing has always cultivated a sense of freedom and adventure in its followers, and yet, in some cases, only a thin line separates calamity from conquest. Because of this, society has always been enchanted with mountaineering. If a climber is able to overlook the inevitable health complications that accompany high altitude, with the advent of new equipment and technologies they have the opportunity to summit a massive peak. In fact, the safety and challenge of mountaineering is limited by the height of the mountains themselves. Thus, wise climbers choose a level that is appropriate for them--although some choose the most difficult climbs simply to push the limits of the