Nepal to Lassa

Hi

I'm doing a trek, well drive really from Kathmandu to Lassa via Everest Base Camp. I'm midly asthmatic and was wondering if any other asthmatics have had any problems? Many people say it is better for asthmatics at altitiude?

Also we are going from 2000m to 5000m in 3 days, has anyone else done it this quick as i think it is too fast to ascend? Also any problems with Altitude sickness?

Yes going straight from 2000m to 5000m in 3 days is far too quick. Particularly if you are sleeping at 5000m on day 3 you will almost certainly get sick. Take longer and condition yourself with progressively higher day accents and then return to a lower altitude for sleep.

Ktm is at 1300 meters , which means literally no acclimatisation at all . As # 1 says the nights are crucial , third night at 5000+ could be fatal. ISSMED is a good source on safe ascent rates.

Don't go to EBC on the way up, do it on the way back!

The second night on the trip you sleep at 4100 metres i think, but you go over one or two passes of 5000 metres. I had the most splitting headache and felt nauseus the second evening on the bus and went to bed as soon as we arrived at the hotel. The third day i felt so much better as we stayed at 4000 metres roughly. If we'd carried on to EBC that day i think i would've died! Even after nearly 2 weeks in Tibet on the return journey we went to EBC and the first afternoon/evening i felt sh**y again and so we slept at the monastery which is about 5000 metres, a few hundred metres below EBC. The next day i was much better and enjoyed the wonderful sight of Chomolongmu (Everest). We went for a trek towards the Glacier which was pretty awesome, though this was hard work with the air being very thin, plus the morraine being very unstable. I slept very well the 2nd night at the Monastery.

It was weird though, as not everyone suffered from AMS. For some reason most of the girls seemed okay and one guy even wanted to go for a beer the second night!! Me and another chap who were quite active had bad headaches and felt crappy the second evening as we went over the 5000m passes. Another chap was ill virtually for the full 5 days. Unfortunately you can't take it easy on the trip as you rise from the border (2300m) on the second day to over 5000m and probably sleep at 4000m.

Altitude also seems to bring on coughs and general maladies, i guess to the lack of oxygen and thin air. I dunno who said altitude is good for asthma but it seems to bring on coughs with a lot of people. You'd probably best check with your doctor/other travllers on their advice.

Hope that helps.

There is no way of telling who will get altitude sickness or who will not. I ascended from 1,500 meters to 5,200 meters in less than 24 hours. Not recommended, but I had no problems.
Taking Diamox may be a good idea, although it makes you pee all the time.

I agree with "torotaxi" try to organize your trip to go to Ronguk and NBC on the return trip. My preference is to fly into Lhasa (3650m). Start taking diamox the day before you leave for Lhasa. Take it easy your first day in Lhasa...at least in the City you have medical facilities available if needed and a comfortable place to sleep. Although high, Lhasa is 100m lower than sleeping your first night in Nyalaam as most overland trips to Lhasa do plus you don't have the high passes to cross in subsequent days as you do on the drive in. By the time you get to Rongbuk on the way back to Kathmandu, most people are well acclimatized and can enjoy the journey. Richa Tours & Travel in Thamel have a 9 night/10 day itinerary that does this trip - cost including flight is around US$1200, I think if you are part of a consolidated group organized by that Company. If you are travelling with friends (at least a group of 4 pax) then you could go with your own group organized through a Nepal company and limited only be the scheduled flight times available into Lhasa. The flights get very full during the season. The consolidated groups usually leave Tuesdays or Saturdays from Kathmandu.

#5 knows of what she speaks.

I must agree that going from 2,000m (about 6,500 ft) to 5,000m (16,000 ft) in 3 days is positively dangerous and you really are taking your life in your hands in attempting this. Some people will no doubt cope OK, possibly even you, but the thing is that you cannot tell.
I did the Annapurna circuit in 1991 which starts quite low at Lake Pokhara and goes up as high as about 5,400m at the pass near Muktinath. That is over 17,400 feet as I recall. Before setting out I went to the advisory place in Kathmandu and was told that 10-12,000 ft is a particular danger point for altitude sickness, but that some people are susceptable from upwards of 6,000 ft. Certainly from 10-12,000 ft one should spend a day resting and aclimatising, making sure you and colleagues are OK prior to continuing upwards. I was told that altitude sickness can take the form of flu-like symptoms, with bad headaches, and a general unsociability.
As you appear not to know much about this you really should make your own enquires, perhaps with the Foreign & Commonwealth office and especially a mountaineering association. And do not take everything I have said as gospel either. You must look into this carefully. By all means go, but go informed and aware, for your own sake and for others.
Good luck and have a great time!