700. How Young Is Too Young for High Altitude?

Even though Romero and Armstrong summited Aconcagua, along with other high-altitude mountains, without issue, some experts have suggested that a developing brain and body may be more susceptible to altitude-related illnesses. “It’s a question that comes up a lot,” said Dr. Peter Hackett, director of the Institute for Altitude Medicine, in Telluride, Colorado. “People want to take their kids to Everest Base Camp or Kilimanjaro, and nobody knows what to tell them. The problem is that there’s not much information on kids.” Therein lies the challenge. When it comes to scientific altitude studies, a relatively new field, there’s only a small pool of case studies available. Endurance Noise & Random Musings Stay Healthy. Be Boring. Not Epic.