ABSTRACT
Ventilation is higher at altitude than at sea level (Table 1) (1,2). Reinhold Messner, describing his and Peter Habeler’s approach to the summit of Mount Everest, the first to climb Mount Everest without supplementary bottled oxygen, stated: ‘‘Breathing becomes such a strenuous business that we scarcely have strength to go on,’’ and upon reaching the summit: ‘‘I am nothing more than a single, narrow, gasping lung, floating over the mists and the summits’’ (3). Expressions like these from many other mountaineers venturing to high altitude suggest the possibility that ventilation might limit exercise at least at extremely high altitude. In this chapter we provide an overview of how respiratory mechanics at high altitude may affect the work of breathing and exercise performance (see also Chapter 20). We will focus mainly on research performed on humans.
