Most hunters deal with high-altitude problems by taking certain medications and arranging their trips so they are gradually exposed to high altitudes. However, there may be a better way, according to subscriber George I. Bridges. He says he has found a company that designs high-altitude training systems for individual athletes. He writes:
"Your report from Carlos Nachon in the April issue of The Hunting Report concerning high-altitude Marco Polo sheep hunting in Tajikistan reminded me to tell fellow subscribers about a company called Hypoxico. I became aware of this company when I saw in Life Magazine a picture of Richard Wiese, president of the Explorer's Club in New York City, using a Hypoxico high altitude chamber. Wiese used their system prior to completing the 17,000-foot climb to the summit of Mexico's Iztaccíhutl volcano, and in relative ease at that. The other six climbers on the trip did not make it to the summit.
"I called Hypoxico's New York office after viewing their web site. The entire system can be used at home, they told me. It involves a tent that goes over your bed and a facemask to use during treadmill workouts. I am booked to hunt Tajikistan in October of this year with two others from southwest Oklahoma. My plan is to rent the Hypoxico system at $169 a week for six weeks prior to the trip. This is in lieu of flying to Colorado for a few days and walking up Pikes Peak a few times, or something similar. The expense is pretty much a wash versus going to Colorado, but this way I get six weeks of acclimatization instead of a few days. If this system works the........(continued)
