AcclimatiseMe are proud to be supporting The Ultra6 World Record Challenge

Andy North, Ben Wood, Mick Bowden, Mike Senior and Dave Edwards will complete the 850 miles consisting of six marathons and over 600 cycling miles in under seven days thus creating a new world record. Each day we will be running a marathon distance of 26.2 miles followed by a further 100 miles cycling, a total of 15 hours on the move.

OUR GOAL
“Motivate & Inspire people to actively participate in sport, people of all ages to be fit and healthy in the great outdoors locally & across the UK”

This is a unique venture and we invite both members of the public and supporting businesses to take part in the challenge. We also welcome anyone to join the endeavour at any stage of the route either by bike, on foot, by skateboard, or even by tandem.

Each entrant will be able to drop in and out of the challenge at any stage of the event and in doing so they will be able to help and inspire the Ultra6 team to create the World Record.

The trekking entourage will also be joined for two days along the route by inspirational veteran Afghanistan soldier Andy Reid. Andy is a triple amputee who hopes to encourage people to take part and provide inspiration ‘to give you that extra 10% when you’re facing your challenges and hurdles in your daily life’.  www.andyreid.org

The World Record challenge has the full support & leadership of Andy Reid who was a Corporal with the 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, whilst on patrol in Afghanistan, Andy stood on a pressure plate IED and as a result of the explosion, he lost both his legs one below and one above the knee and his right arm.  After only 2 weeks Andy astounded people with his recovery and positive attitude. The Soldiers’ charity fully supported Andy by providing floor lifts and ramps throughout his house to ensure he had full access at all times. 

You can sponsor this phenomenal challenge here:

 http://www.justgiving.com/ultra6org

AcclimatiseMe are proud to announce a new working link with Water-to-go who have produced the most unique and innovative personal water filtration system.

Originally developed for the NASA Space Programme, the filter eliminates over 99.9% of all contaminants in water. Using this fantastic water bottle not only saves you money, but reduces landfill and plastic pollution.

The Water-to-go water bottle will change hydration forever. Simply fill the bottle from any non-saltwater source and the unique patented filter will remove over 99.9% of contaminants, such as bacteria, viruses, harmful chemicals and even heavy metals – as you drink. Tap water can be instantly turned into clean, safe and ‘better than bottled’ quality water instantly, at a cost of pennies per litre.

Order your water bottle today! Www.watertogo.eu

Using the code ACCME1 you will get 10% discount off your order.

Cycling London to Bangladesh
“This June we’re setting off on a cycle expedition from London to Bangladesh and making sure we have safe drinking water is a major issue for much of the route. We looked at various solutions and the Water to Go bottles seemed like the best option all round. They’ll give us total piece of mind and mean we can get great tasting water from virtually any source. What’s also great is that we’ll be able to drink the water instantly rather than waiting for purification tablets which will be vital as we’ll need to be constantly hydrated.”
Luke and Tom

I was very honoured this week to be awarded the Yorkshire Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, presented by Prince Andrew. Whilst I have never been in business to win awards or receive accolades, to receive recognition of this prestigious award was a genuine honour. I’m not so good at blowing my own trumpet, so here are some words about the event and why AcclimatiseMe won.

A recent University postgraduate has received a prestigious award from the Duke of York in recognition of his entrepreneurial skills.
Chris Hale, who founded AcclimatiseMe, an innovative altitude business whilst studying for an MA in Business Management, was a winner in the first ever Duke of York Entrepreneur Awards which were held on Tuesday 21 May.
The Awards acknowledged Yorkshire and the Humber’s finest student and graduate entrepreneurs and Chris was one of ten winners who represented each of the region’s universities. Yorkshire was specifically chosen for the launch of the Duke of York Young Entrepreneur Awards due to the strength of its local partnerships, as well as the region’s success in developing business start-up services and funding.
​Chris founded AcclimatiseMe whilst completing his MA in Business Management at Leeds Trinity University. The young entrepreneur has introduced cutting edge altitude training technology from New Zealand to the British market, which helps climbers to prepare for their summits, thrill seekers to conquer Kilimanjaro and elite sports professionals to improve their performance and speed up their rehab process. AcclimatiseMe continues to attract critical acclaim, with Chris currently in the running for a Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Awards.

Thanks for reading, onwards and upwards for AcclimatiseMe!
Chris

This January 17th-20th we are exhibiting at the prestigious Outdoors Show at the Excel in London.The Outdoors Show is the UK’s Number 1 show for outdoor enthusiasts and in 2012 attracted over 85,000 visitors. Whether you’re interested in walking, hiking, climbing, mountaineering, camping, photography, canoeing, cycling, mountain biking, sailing or anything else outdoorsy – you’re sure to find plenty of interest and have a great day at the show.

 This years theme is 60 years on Everest and will give visitors an insight into the history, both past and present of the great mountain.The exhibition will feature amazing photography documenting key expeditions as well as a display of clothing, and a selection of special artefacts.

Come and see us, as we are offering an exclusive 20% off courses if you sign up at the show, whilst offering a free chance to try our altitude training from the comfort of our reclining leather chair. We are on stand OU130. 

Happy New Year from the AcclimatiseMe team! 

We are going to start the year with a fantastic competition, with the prize being a pair of tickets to The Outdoor Show at the Excel in London January 17-20th. 

So, to win this great prize all you have to do is email the most exciting adventure you are embarking on in 2013 and what it means to you to achieve it! Email all responses to Chris@acclimatiseme.com by Friday 11th January and we will decide the winner next Saturday! Good luck, we can’t wait to hear from you! 

The concept of altitude training is not a new one in the sports world, however the principles have changed. Research has recently shown that it is much more beneficial to ‘sleep’ at altitude and train at sea level, as training at altitude reduces your exercise capacity due to the ‘thinner air’ meaning there is less oxygen available for your body to utilise. Whereas ‘sleeping’ at altitude provides a double-edged sword, as the altitude will improve your oxygen efficiency and circulation, vastly improving your day to day training.

Here at AcclimatiseMe we specify in intermittent hypoxia, so what is it? 

Put simply, we reduce the oxygen available in the air in a safe and controlled environment, forcing the body to react and adapt to the lower level of oxygen available (between 14-7%).

By breathing less oxygen the body learns how to cope and subtle physiological changes occur. Using AcclimatiseMe, you alternate between breathing reduced oxygen air and normal air, and it is this interval in the breathing programme that speeds up the adaptation process.

Your body is forced to learn how to react to less oxygen and then re-adapt to its normal oxygen content in a short period of time which educates your body to use your oxygen supply more efficiently.

This process results in your body conserving precious oxygen in reserve so that when you need it most, your body won’t let you down.

This sounds simple, but the impact can be quite extraordinary, as we can simulate altitude down to 7% oxygen, a 3rd of what is available at sea level, if you can function at this level…..imagine your energy levels and exercise performance at 21%!! To put this altitude in perspective the summit of Kilimanjaro has about 10% oxygen available, talk about hitting the heights!

Mount Kilimanjaro is probably one of the most famous mountains in the world – it’s the highest walkable peak anywhere on the planet and thousands of people head there every year to climb it.

The First Successful Ascent

While climbing Kilimanjaro may still be an impressive feat, it’s nothing compared to what the first mountaineers went through to tackle the summit.

It occurred in October 1889, when Hans Meyer, Ludwig Purtscheller and Yoanas Kinyala Lauwo became the first people to officially reach the rim of the Kibo crater and then ascend to the Uhuru Peak – the highest point.

This was Meyer’s third attempt at scaling the mountain and the expedition party included nine porters, a guide, a cook and two local headmen – set out from Mombasa on foot – imagine walking nearly 300 km before you even started your climb!

It’s Not A Mountain …

Despite being called Mount Kilimanjaro; it is, in fact, a stratavolcano, which is comprised of three volcanic cones, the highest of which is the Kibo crater where you’ll find Uhuru Peak. Kibo is a dormant volcano, while the other two craters – Mawenzi and Shira – are extinct.

It’s been 200 years since any volcanic activity was recorded here, though, with the last major eruption occurring 360,000 years ago.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

There are six official routes to the summit, but only one of these follows the same path down. Well, the Marangu route is one to avoid if you want to have a bit more variety on your trek, as you’ll go back down the way you came up if you choose this
trail! It’s also one of the busiest paths, so look elsewhere if you want a bit of solitude on your climb.

Four of the other tracks – Machame, Shira, Lemosho and Umbwe – all share the same descent, known as the Mweka route. It’s only ever used for going down, so you’ll never meet travellers on their way up on the final days of your trek.

Record Your Memories

While you will undoubtedly come home with numerous shots of you at the summit, taking photos isn’t the only way to record your ascent.

There’s a wooden box stored at the top of Uhuru Peak where almost every traveller to have made the climb has written down their feelings about the trek.

I think it’s a lovely idea, so make sure you keep up the tradition and jot a few lines in the book for others to look back on.

Speedy Ascent: It Can Be Done!

Your climb up Kilimanjaro will probably take at least five days and, if you have time, it’s worth choosing a route that lasts for seven or eight days to give you the opportunity to fully appreciate the variety of landscapes you’ll pass on your ascent.

That said, it can be done far quicker, as Gerard Bavato proved in 2007 when he reached the Uhuru Summit in just five hours, 26 minutes and 40 seconds.

While that might be the quickest climb, Gerard didn’t manage to win the accolade of fastest round trip too – that honour goes to Kilian Jornet, a Spanish trail runner who in October 2011 set the record of the fastest run to the summit and back, in 7 hours and 14 minutes, beating the previous record holder Simon Mtuy who did the ascent and descent in 8 hours and 27 minutes.

Altitude sickness is a well known and common phenomenon, affecting people of all fitness levels and ages.  It commonly occurs above 2400m (8000 feet) due to exposure to the low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude.

Altitude sickness has three forms:

1)      Mild altitude sickness is called acute mountain sickness (AMS) and is quite similar to a hangover – it causes headache, nausea, and fatigue. This is very common: some people are only slightly affected, others feel awful.

2)      HAPE (high altitude pulmonary oedema) – is excess fluid on the lungs, and causes breathlessness. It is never normal to feel breathless when you are resting – even on the summit of Everest. This should be taken as a sign that you have HAPE and may die soon. HAPE can also cause a fever (a high temperature) and coughing up frothy spit.

3)      HACE (high altitude cerebral oedema) – is fluid on the brain. It causes confusion, clumsiness, and stumbling. The first signs may be uncharacteristic behaviour such as laziness, excessive emotion or violence. Drowsiness and loss of consciousness occur shortly before death.

Treatment of HAPE and HACE

–  Immediate descent is absolutely essential

–  Dexamethasone and acetazolamide should both be given, if available

–  Pressure bags and oxygen gas can buy time

What causes altitude sickness?

Two things are certain to make altitude sickness very likely – ascending faster than 500m per day, and exercising vigourously. Physically fit individuals are not protected – even Olympic athletes get altitude sickness. Altitude sickness happens because there is less oxygen in the air than at high altitudes.

Altitude sickness prevention

Go up slowly, take it easy, and give your body time to get used to the altitude. The body has an amazing ability to acclimatise to altitude, but it needs time. For instance, it takes about a week to adapt to an altitude of 5000m.

Ensure you are acclimatised before you head to altitude. You can now acclimatise to altitudes equivalent to the top of Mount Everest from the comfort of your own home giving you the most effective preparation before you step foot on the plane.

Please help us to spread this information as widely as possible. Everyone who travels to high altitude should know this. Following these simple rules could prevent many deaths in the mountains each year.

1.    Snood

Some of you may be asking ‘What on earth is a snood!?’ Well it is very similar to a scarf and is made out of a breathable material that wraps around your nose and mouth comfortably and provides a couple of benefits. The first, keeping your face warm in the strong, cold winds at certain points of the climb. Secondly, and most importantly on the way down you will find the land to be very dry and dusty. As you fly down the mountain the dust will do its upmost to get in your mouth and nose…your snood is your greatest defence!

2.    High factor lip sunblock

We have all burnt our lips at some point on holiday, or even when the unexpected heat hits Britain. At the top of Kilimanjaro you are nearly 6000m closer to the sun than the most of Britain, which means although you may feel cold the suns strong rays will still be torturing your skin and lips. I couldn’t recommend this highly enough!

3.    Wet wipes

It isn’t often you hear the statement ‘You cannot have enough wet wipes’, but it is amazing how often we hear this from clients when they come back from summiting. 5-8 days without a shower and quite a few days without any form of toilet…wet wipes will undoubtedly become your best friend before even your own nose turns against you. As one of our most recent Kilimanjaro summiter so eloquently put it, “Wet wipes were essential to my ‘gentlemans wash’”.

 4.    Walking Poles

Walking poles, they simply seem like two sticks and could easily be overlooked as you try to work out which stuff to leave at home with your mountain of gear. Please don’t…they take so much pressure off your knees on the way down you will be so thankful. They also double up as great leaning poles as the thinner air starts to take hold of your lungs and your energy dwindles.

 5.    4 season sleeping bag

Sleeping on the side of a mountain with your heart racing as the altitude has its effects is not easy at the best of times. Your sleep is vital for your body to recover and you will need every minute you can get to give you energy for the next days hiking. With the constant and ever changing climate and weather on Kilimanjaro a 4 season sleeping bag is essential to getting a reasonable night’s sleep.