The Power of Elevation: Why Not All Snow Is Created Equal Any serious skier will tell you that not all snow is created equal. Light, fluffy powder, dense, wet snow, and icy sleet all start as the same thing: moisture in the air. An intricate dance of atmospheric moisture, environmental conditions, and resort geography all combine to create the spectrum of snowfall that snowsports enthusiasts crave. Despite the numerous factors that […] Featured Article Lucas Gauthier | February 2, 2023 3 Comments
Brain Post: Does Higher Altitude Make You Fart More? Have you ever felt extra gassy while on a flight or during a hike? I recently completed an overnight trek and summited the second highest peak in Guatemala, Acatenango. At the top, we would witness incredible views and the active Volcán de Fuego erupt. It turned out that the volcano wouldn’t be the only thing erupting that night. Sharing a […] Brains Nick DeRiso | August 30, 2022 0 Comments
Fake It Till You Make It – Two Climbers May Be Banned For Fake Climb Up Everest Two Indian mountaineers may get banned by authorities in Nepal after fake photos emerged showing them on top of Mount Everest. The two climbers are Narender Singh Yadav and Seema Rani Goswami, who claimed to have reached the top of Everest in 2016. The authorities are seeking to ban the two from climbing Everest, and other Nepalese peaks, for up to […] Climbing Nick Retterer | February 5, 2021 0 Comments
HAPE: More Than Just Mountain Views Taking Your Breath Away Adventuring to high elevated places can be exciting and breathtaking – literally. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), a fatal form of altitude sickness, is a medical condition that occurs at high elevation. Usually 2500m (8,202 ft) and up. At high altitudes the oxygen in the air gets thinner, causing hypoxia, lack of oxygen in the lungs. Less oxygen means that […] Brains Aunika Skogen | February 1, 2021 0 Comments
HAPE: The Deadly Form Of Altitude Sickness As we gain elevation in the mountains, changes happen to our bodies. We find it harder to catch our breath, our muscles feel heavier, and we tire more easily. These symptoms are quite common when entering a new altitude, and normally our bodies can adapt. However, in some cases, a life-threatening form of altitude sickness can quickly develop. This is called […] Backcountry Hannah | February 1, 2021 0 Comments
HAPE: What Makes Altitude Sickness So Deadly in the High Mountains? Objective hazards in the mountains are comprised of two main categories: environmental factors and human factors. Before heading into the wilderness, a human will make considerations for what to bring in case of an emergency. HAPE is a risk, an almost silent killer which creeps in during situations where rescues are often impossible, like on the side of a mountain. […] Elliot Levey | February 1, 2020 0 Comments
What is HAPE? Prepare for your Ascent When it comes to planning your next 8,000 ft peak or higher, High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) is a serious factor to consider. HAPE is a form of respiratory failure due to the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, most commonly occurring after ascending to high altitudes. The most common cases appear in patients who have recently traveled from low […] Corinne Doerner | February 1, 2020 0 Comments
HAPE: The High-Altitude Killer What is HAPE? The most common cause of death directly attributed to altitude is High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, or “HAPE.” Caused by a lack of oxygen, HAPE is an advanced stage of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). In conjunction with the breakdown of glucose, fats, and amino acids, oxygen is necessary for our bodies to produce energy. Too little of it […] Brains Tony Miller | February 1, 2020 0 Comments
High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema: Why Skiers, Backpackers, and Adventurers Should Care High-altitude pulmonary edema, or HAPE, is the accumulation of fluid in the lungs; and it is deadly. It generally occurs when one rapidly ascends from a low altitude, to above roughly 2,500 meters. Risk factors include, but are not limited to ascent rate, peak altitude, and how intense physical exertion is. In addition, men are at a higher risk than women for developing HAPE. If you are an athlete who […] Industry News Shannon Fiegel | February 1, 2020 0 Comments
HAPE: The Killer We Still Don’t Understand What is HAPE, you ask? HAPE stands for High Altitude Pulmonary Edema and we still don’t really know who will develop it or why. HAPE is caused by a lack of oxygen and it is the leading killer at high altitudes. HAPE usually develops after 2 to 3 days spent at altitudes above 8,000 ft. The first sign is breathlessness […] Brains Gabrielle Gasser | February 1, 2020 0 Comments
Quickly Ascending High Altitudes Could be Hazardous to Your Health There are plenty of ways to prepare for a high altitude climb, and being aware of the risks of High-altitude pulmonary edema should be on your list. High-altitude pulmonary edema, or HAPE, is a life-threatening accumulation of fluid in the lungs that occurs when climbers ascend high altitudes too quickly. Usually, it’s seen in travelers who live at low altitudes. […] Brains Sophia Rose | February 1, 2020 0 Comments
89 Year Old Arizona Woman Becomes Oldest Person to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa 89 Year old Arizona Native Anne Lorimor just became the oldest person to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro… again. Just four years ago, Lorimor summited the peak at the age of 85, making herself the oldest woman to reach the highest point in Africa. However, when she found out that an older woman had broken her record, and that a man had also […] Climbing Jack Conroy | July 31, 2019 0 Comments
HAPE, The Killer You Didn’t See Coming High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) is not only one of the top causes of death in high altitude mountaineering, but it is made even more dangerous by its unpredictable nature. HAPE has claimed the lives of even the fittest, most knowledgeable and most prepared mountaineers. While there are signs that susceptibility to the condition may be linked to genetics, this connection […] Climbing Jack Conroy | July 17, 2019 0 Comments
David Lama Claims First Ascent of Lunag Ri Near Everest. Alone Although climbing permits have been issued to a number of teams of for attempts at Lunag Ri, this stunningly beautiful peak of 6,907 meters (22,660′) remains unclimbed. At least until last month when 28 year-old Austrian mountaineer David Lama changed that. Located only 25 miles west of Mt. Everest, it sits on the borderline between Nepal and Tibet. Lama not only completed […] Climbing Jon Roubik | November 30, 2018 0 Comments
HIGH ALTITIUDE PULMONARY EDEMA – ‘HAPE’: THE #1 KILLER AT ALTITUDE WHAT IS HAPE? The adrenaline rush and breathtaking views that inspire so many to take to the high mountains, can also, quite literally, take your breath away. The three most common causes of death at high altitude are acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema – the most severe, and life-threatening. High Altitude […] Brains Jacqui Davis | November 8, 2018 0 Comments
HAPE: The Silent Killer at Ten Thousand Feet High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is an extremely dangerous form of altitude sickness that can often have fatal consequences. As opposed to acute mountain sickness and high altitude cerebral edema, which are caused by a decrease in oxygen concentration and brain swelling, HAPE is caused by an increase in pulmonary pressure during a significant ascent. While some of their symptoms overlap, […] Climbing Lucy Ferneyhough | November 1, 2018 1 Comment
How Altitude Sickness Becomes Deadly Hiking at Altitude. Image: Telluride If you ski, snowboard, or climb at elevation, you’ve probably experienced some level of acute mountain sickness (AMS) or are at least aware of the condition more commonly known as altitude sickness. AMS, caused by the decrease of available oxygen as elevation is gained, is often associated with relatively mild symptoms such as headaches and […] Climbing Jon Roubik | October 1, 2018 0 Comments
Trouble in High Places: High Altitude Pulmonary Edema On top of the world! Credit: Sports Radio Knoxville HAPE is not a joke. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema or HAPE is one of the leading causes of death among mountaineers and high altitude skiers and snowboarders. HAPE is a disease in which the lower air pressure at high altitudes causes one’s lungs to become filled with fluids. It can occur […] Jason Ringenberg | October 1, 2017 0 Comments
HAPE: The Number One Killer at High Altitude Recreation at high altitude entails many existential threats. Avalanches, rock falls, lighting, and hypothermia all leap to mind as serious threats. Yet, the leading cause of death at high altitude (8,200 ft or 2,500 m and above) is probably something many are not familiar with, high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). Pulmonary edema is the accumulation of fluid in the tissues […] Brains Curtis Weller | October 1, 2017 0 Comments
Know Before You Go: Altitude is Everything Incredible peaks, challenging terrain, extreme climates; it’s what mountain folk thrive on. High altitude landscapes have drawn in mountaineers for years, but there are still things that leave us at the mercy of Mother Nature. In this case, it is a rare, but life-threatening occurrence called High Altitude Pulmonary Edema or HAPE. Without proper acclimation, HAPE can happen to an […] Industry News Katy Shipley | October 1, 2017 0 Comments
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