Mountain climbing

I think it will depend on your condition/diagnosis

by crustyg - 2022-11-15 06:34:24

If you have a PM for SSS+CI, then I think you're going to need a PM that increases your paced rate (using Rate Response - RR) from something other than upper body movement - which for BostonSci means Minute Ventilation (MV).  Happy news, that's you.

I'm not a climber, but I think I understand the physiological challenge.  You're going to be using some large muscles whilst not moving much - so RR needs a feed from MV.  BUT, MV signal into RR is the difference between 'resting' MV (actually the long-term baseline) and current MV (short-term baseline) - and long-term baseline will already be raised due to high altitude, so the delta - the difference between the two - will be smaller than at sea-level => less feed into RR => lower HR.

I think you can get past this by getting your device adjusted for fairly high MV Response Factor (12 or more) but a lowish Ventilatory Threshold (perhaps 120BPM) and a lowish Ventilatory Threshold Response (60-70%).

BostonSci (actually the Belgian company that developed the MV tech) designed it this way so that folk with MV enabled weren't paced faster when flying (most commercial planes reduce cabin pressure to the equivalent of 9000 feet which would increase MV).  Without the RR-feed being a delta between long-term and short-term this would tend to increase the pacing rate whilst in cruise.  Unfortunately for you, that's *exactly* when you DO want a higher HR.

If this helps - or just generates more questions - I'm happy to chat via PM, if you wish.

Best wishes.

High altitude

by Mad Hatter - 2022-11-15 13:36:22

It looks like Crusty has given you some good technical information and I'll add my two cents.  I haven't been mountain climbing since getting my pm three months ago, but I live in Colorado at 5,900 feet and run 3-4 miles several times a week.  So far I have hiked as high as 10,000 feet and spent this past weekend at 7,500 feet with no issues.  Not quite the 5,000 meters you are asking about, but maybe enough to have experienced some impact from altitude and I haven't noticed anything.

Good luck and happy climbing!