How high can you ski?

Quote: Pacomartin

But even in Colorado, most people don't live above 2000 meters. It's hard to imagine that in Tibet there are that many people that live so high, that they can roll out of bed and ski at 4500 meters.

In Colorado, residence is skewed by the resorts: bank tellers, burger flippers, etc. commute to work. Ski workers live in dormitories though the USA doesn't have GAP year visas the way Canadian ski resorts attract youth willing to work in return for a hovel and a free ski pass. Rich people buy ranches in Colorado to avoid having neighbors.

Tibetans can descend to lower altitudes where they often get "oxygen sickness" from breathing too much oxygen. Tourists at ski resorts often get "oxygen sickness" from NOT breathing sufficient oxygen. The cure is simple: gain or lose altitude.

Quote: Pacomartin

But even in Colorado, most people don't live above 2000 meters.

When the Broncos play locally, there's a tendency by the analysts to talk abut how the altitude will affect the visiting team. I so roll my eyes whenever I hear that. They make it sound as though Denver is the highest inhabited spot on Earth! They're not even 2,000 mts. above sea level!

Oh, to someone from a sea level town, say Miami, even such mid-altitude can be a problem. but if the visitors spend the week before the game in Denver, they'll have no trouble whatsoever.

The biggest effect I've seen altitude have on sports was in Formula 1 racing in 87 or 88. that was the last year with turbo-charged engines, and most teams no longer used them. At the Mex City GP that year, some very crummy teams did exceedingly well, because they still used turbo-chargers, though unfortunately for them the top two teams did as well.

Quote:

It's hard to imagine that in Tibet there are that many people that live so high, that they can roll out of bed and ski at 4500 meters.

It's simply a matter of being used to it. When faced with shorter oxygen rations, your body produces more erythropoietin, which causes the bone marrow to produce additional red corpuscles. This takes a day or two. Afterwards you can live normally, exercise, donate blood, etc.