HIGH ALTITUDE
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What is high altitude?
To determine what counts as high altitude is rather hard. The adaptation is a hard discipline for your body which tries to compensate to the utmost the elements not compatible with life: rarefaction of the air, disminution of athmospherical pressure, the cold, aridity, alcalosis and so on. Above 6,500 meters (maximum of acclimatization zone) the persons live only with their reserve. Therefore it is necessary to interrupt staying up there for a long time. You must come down to lower points where you can recuperate these reserves. Doing this several times you can get acclimatization and determine the time of maximum permanence in that height, so that there is no risk of deterioration, serious sign of alarm. 
Mountain sickness is manifested through the following symptoms:
These signs overlap in such a way that they can be manifested in combination. They are stages of the same process, and they are caused by one single denominator: reduced oxygen in the air.
All high altitude symptoms may be prevented through proper acclimatization. A good knowledge of the signs and the effects of mountain sickness will enable the climber to prevent severe health disorders, or even death, which may overcome in a short time. A number of measures can be adopted to prevent acute mountain sickness:
People affected by the sickness can recover fairly well by coming down to lower altitudes as promptly as possible. But this is not the case with affected people who stay exposed longer at higher altitudes. The safest practice is to come down to lower altitudes when the first sign of sickness is detected. Treat mild symptoms by resting at the same altitude until recovery, usually a day or two. Paracetamol or aspirin can be taken for headaches. If symptoms persist or become worse, however, immediate descent is necessary; even 500m can help. Drug treatments should never be used to avoid descent or to enable further ascent. The drugs acetazolamide (Diamox) and dexamethasone are recommended by some doctors for the prevention of AMS, however their use is controversial. They can reduce the symptoms, but they may also mask warning signs; severe and fatal AMS has occurred in people taking these drugs.
Drink extra fluids. On a winter trek you’ll have to melt the snow to give you water. Don’t eat the snow, thinking it will melt in your stomach and give you fluid. Eating snow will only give you diarrhea. In Swedish mountains we are blessed with the ability to drink the water direct from the brooks and waterfalls. Last time at Mt Kebnekaise I met some German people who brought a 10 liter can on their trek, because they were not used to be able to drink the water direct from the brooks. In many countries you will most likely get sick if you drink the water from rivers and lakes. You have to boil the water and use purifier. Be careful though, it’s no fun feeling sick in your stomach while hiking. If you do get sick, then you have to drink even more water, because your body will be dehydrated. On high altitudes you’ll need to boil your water longer, because it will boil at a lower temperature and wont kill the germs. Have easy access to your water bottle when you hike. On winter treks it’s hard because the bottle and water hose will freeze. Make sure to have wide mouth bottle with an isolation cover. You’ll notice your lack of water easier when it’s warm outside than when it’s cold, though you need the same amount of water on a winter trek!! Remember if you drink tea, coffee or sodas that they drive away the fluid in your body, so you’ll need to drink even more. Also avoid alcohol as it may increase the risk of dehydration. Read more about water.
The food you’ll bring on a high altitude climb can be the same as any other trek. Read more about food.
Clothes Though I still write shortly about clothes here, since the clothes are a big part of surviving up on high mountains. Though I definite think you should look more into clothes than this. You have to find what works the best for you. Fabrics, brands, sizes, shoes, caps and mittens. Everything has to be carefully and well planned.
Clothing is nothing more than a storehouse of air surrounding our bodies, whose interior temperature raises due to the energy that the body radiates, regulated by the circulation of the blood at that moment. We should do away with the idea that the equipment gives us heat by itself, it merely retains and isolates the heat—we ourselves create it and heat ourselves. This doesn’t mean the clothes aren’t an important part to survive up on mountains. I recommend to wear at least three layers of clothes. The layering system means that you use a combination of the fabrics and garments worn in layers. Why? The purpose of a layering system is to add or remove the layers of insulation to match the weather conditions and your activity level, maintaining a comfortable body temperature without excess sweating which leads to heat loss. Throughout the day you can add or remove layers as conditions change. You’ll get warm when you move, but as soon as you rest you have to put on more clothes. The inner layer keeps you dry and comfortable. It shall transport the sweat away from your body. Don’t wear cotton!!! The middle layer provides some insulation and protection. Fleece is a good material. Don’t choose too large clothes, then they wont give the same heat. What isolates is the air standing still in the clothes and if they are too big they will ventilate too much and you will loose heat. The shell layer protects you from wind and rain. It can be an anorak or a Gore-tex jacket. The outer layer provides insulation. A down jacket is to recommend. The layering system should be used also on your feet, hands and head. Remember that 70% of your body heat disappears from your head. If your feet feels cold, then put on a cap on your head. Your body has it’s own way to protect itself from getting cold in low temperatures. Everything is done to keep the body temperature up in the most important organs (as your heart). To manage this target your body stops producing heat to “less important“ body parts as your hands and feet. This is also why you’ll freeze more easily here. Want to look more into clothes?
HypothermiaHypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it and the core temperature of the body falls. It is surprisingly easy to progress from very cold to dangerously cold due to a combination of wind, wet clothing, fatigue and hunger, even if the air temperature is above freezing. Carry basic supplies, including food containing simple sugars to generate heat quickly, and lots of fluid to drink. Symptoms of hypothermia are exhaustion, numb skin (particularly toes and fingers), shivering, slurred speech, irrational or violent behavior, lethargy, stumbling, dizzy spells, muscle cramps and violent bursts of energy. Irrationality may take the form of sufferers claiming they are warm and trying to take off their clothes. To treat mild hypothermia, first get the person out of the wind and/or rain, remove their clothing if it's wet and replace it with dry, warm clothing. Give them hot liquids - not alcohol - and some high-kilojoule, easily digestible food. Do not rub victims, instead allow them to slowly warm themselves. This should be enough to treat the early stages of hypothermia. The early recognition and treatment of mild hypothermia is the only way to prevent severe hypothermia, which is a critical condition
Read more about medicine and sickness that can hit you on a trip.
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 Go to Trek Mountains
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I would say around 3500- 4500 meters and above. Though lack of oxygen at altitudes over 2500m affects most people to some extent. The affect may be mild or severe and occurs because less oxygen reaches the muscles and the brain at high altitude, requiring the heart and lungs to compensate by working harder. There is no hard-and-fast rule as to what is too high: the symptoms has been fatal at 3000m, although 3500 to 4500m is the usual range.
Symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) usually develop during the first 24 hours at altitude but may be delayed up to three weeks. Mild symptoms include headache, lethargy, dizziness, difficulty sleeping and loss of appetite. AMS may become more severe without warning and can be fatal.
The mountain air is dry and cold and moisture is lost as you breathe. Evaporation of sweat may occur unnoticed and result in dehydration. On high altitude you also have to drink more than usually if you want to adapt easier to the altitude. It’s the key to success!!! It’s hard to boil water up there and it’s no fun drinking the entire time. Most of all it’s cold as h-ll to go out and pie when it’s –20 C (0 F). Though it can’t be helped!!! You’ll have to drink anyway! The consequences if you don’t can be severer.
However you might have to change your eating habits just a bit. Eat a lot of carbohydrates!! It will cost more oxygen to burn fat and protein than it does to burn carbohydrates. Therefor I recommend you to eat a lot of carbohydrates, especially for dinner during the evening. The main reason is that the supply of oxygen is going to be lower during the night. Of course you’ll need to eat protein and fat too, otherwise you won’t get enough calories. Though the amount of carbohydrates shall be higher. Eat a lot of fat and protein on resting days when your body is able to extract the energy and nutrition
At high altitudes you can get sunburnt surprisingly quickly, even through cloud cover. Use a sunscreen , a hat and barrier cream for your nose and lips. Calamine lotion is a good way to soothe mild sunburn. Protect your eyes with good quality sunglasses, particularly if you will walk on snow and glaciers. If you get snow blind then you in every way have to avoid light. Wear both sunglasses and ski-goggles and stay in the tent for the first days. You can get permanent damage to your eyes if you aren’t extremely careful.
