Sep 25, 2018
From Jenny Kotlyar / Campsite Vibes
“I live at sea level and my first snowboarding trip of 2018 was during Mammoth’s opening weekend. I went up with a friend and we went shopping around town that Saturday evening. While my friend browsed, I sat there feeling very off with my head getting heavier and feeling variations of overheating and being too cold. One of the shop employees handed me a Boost Oxygen can for me to try. I took two puffs (inhale and hold it in for a couple seconds) and within a few minutes, I felt like myself again (no joke).
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Summer on top, winter on the bottom. ☀️❄️???? #mixedseasons #snowboardinginsummer
We got a couple cans to hit the lift with on Sunday and on the drive home, stopped by the shop again to stock up. These have been such a game changer!
In the last year, I’ve been more sensitive to altitude as my body takes the time to acclimate. Boost Oxygen helps your body as you’re acclimating, almost like a supplement that helps the acclimation process. But if you are feeling severe Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), you need to descend to lower elevations quickly. That is the only cure for AMS and HAPE.
In the winters I snowboard (mainly at Mammoth) and in the summers I hike at high altitude all over the Sierra Nevada’s and I’ve been keeping a stock of these cans at home so I can grab and go when I hit the mountain. These cans weigh almost nothing, so to all the backpackers out there worried about your pack-weight, these won’t make it any heavier.
Whether we’re at 7,000 ft, 11,000 ft or higher, everyone in the group ends up passing around the oxygen can, taking turns puffing.
GAME CHANGER!”
I’m Jenny, and I write a blog called Campsite Vibes. My first camping and high altitude experience was in 2014 and it was kind of a mess, but I fell in love with the mountains and have been learning and growing my knowledge of what it takes to really get outside.
I want to share tips and tricks that I’ve learned through my adventures in the great outdoors. From where to go, how to plan trips, how to train for longer hikes, the ins and outs of gear, and how to get past what’s holding you back and just get outside.
