The topics of altitude, AMS, acclimation, etc. have been prominent on the boards this week, and it got me thinking about how capricious and unpredictable altitude illnesses can be.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to speak with the leader of a group of about 25 people who I'm pretty certain spend more time above 14,000 feet (above sea level) year in and year out than any other group of Americans - thousands and thousands of hours per year. He told me that his biggest challenge, other than the obvious weather events at such an elevation, was dealing with altitude-related issues such as AMS, even though many members of his group consistently spend a significant percentage of their entire year above 14K'. That struck me as probably the best example of how AMS should always be a concern at elevation, regardless of an individual's prior lack of issues.
Anyone want to venture a guess as to what group of people I'm talking about? And, no - flight is not a player here. These are folks with their feet planted firmly on the ground.
There's one board member who should absolutely nail this without a second thought - I would ask that person (you know who you are) to hold off just a bit till others have had a chance to demonstrate their deductive abilities
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