High Altitude Oxygen Systems: The Old Becomes New Again

90% of climbers use an oxygen system when climbing in high altitudes.  These systems have become almost mandatory for those not experienced in climbing and the harsh environment of altitude.  Even some of the world’s strongest climbers must rely on the added advantage of oxygen when going above 8,000 meters.

The biggest factor in using oxygen in high altitude stems from the body’s uncontrollable urge to shut down when being forced up and in to the highest reaches of the earth.  We have all heard about HACE or HAPE, both illnesses are associated with the body’s lack of proper oxygen while in altitude.  HACE (high altitude cerebral edema) is a very deadly situation that comes on when the brain begins to swell from lack of oxygen.  If a person isn’t brought to a lower altitude immediately, the consequences can become tragic very fast.  A good example of this can be found in my good friend Lance Trumbull’s film “Everest: A Climb for Peace“.  Luckily, that situation didn’t result in death, but it very well could have.

HAPE (high altitude pulminary edema) is another very dangerous situation brought on by lack of oxygen.  This one is caused by the lungs filling up with liquid, making it nearly impossible to gasp in the little O2 that is available.

In 1953, when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reached the top of Mt. Everest, they were climbing with a newly developed oxygen system.  The success of their climb resulted in this system becoming almost mandatory amongst high altitude climbers.  This same system, with a few improvements, is still being used today.  The following information is something you might not have known:

The system that Hillary and Norgay used is referred to as an ‘open circuit’ oxygen system.  This means that air is kept in a tank and forced through the oxygen mask at a continuous set rate decided upon by the climber.  Many of those reaching the topmost part of Mt. Everest often have this set as high as 4 liters per hour.”

The ‘open circuit’ oxygen system was developed by Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans shortly before Sir Edmund and Tenzing successfully captured Everest’s summit.  Bourdillon and Evans also developed another type of oxygen system at roughly this same time.  This one is known as the ‘closed circuit’ oxygen system.

The ‘closed circuit’ oxygen system recycles the air you breathe out, and allows you to reuse the oxygen exhaled.  It was a rather novel concept in 1953.  Three weeks prior to Hillary and Norgay’s triumph, Bourdillon and Evans tested the ‘closed circuit’ system and got to within 300 ft. of the top of Mt. Everest before having to tun back.  Hillary and Norgay opted for the untested ‘open circuit’.

As history would play out, success in a product can take over the market.  Today, anyone who climbs on oxygen uses the ‘open circuit’ system first developed in 1953.  Jump ahead half a century, and we may now see the return of Boudillon and Evan’s first developed oxygen system make a comeback.  This time it is in a very significantly different field than that of the mountain warrior.

The ‘closed circuit’ oxygen system is currently being tested as a way to help people suffering  with COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  This disease kills 3 million people a year, and could be the leading cause of death in the world by 2030.

According to the UK’s Times Online, a leading British scientist has reconfigured the original ‘closed circuit’ oxygen system and taken care of the problem that held Boudillon and Evans from reaching the summit of Mt. Everest.  Somehow, the original system become untrustworthy in high altitude (above 8,000 meters).  This problem has now been solved.

The closed circuit oxygen system is extraordinary for two reasons.  When climbers first tested this method, it was noted that they could climb in higher altitudes twice as fast as the now standard ‘open circuit.  You can also get twice as much air, per breath, in your system, alleviating many of the dangerous problems associated with high altitude.  Along with this, since this system uses the recycled air that you have already breathed out—you never have to worry about running out of O2 in the middle of a dangerous climb.  This could help save many lives of climbers who have become stranded in storms, or ran out of oxygen near the summit of a high peak.

The new system will be developed and tested further before being put on the market, but it looks like the original system, developed way back in 1953, may finally get the credit that it’s creators knew it was capable of achieving.  Not only will climbers benefit from this advancement of an old technology, but this could also help out many sick people around the world.  This could also benefit scuba divers, fire fighters, or anyone else who needs the support of oxygen while playing or working.

I have to give Climb of a Lifetime a huge shout-out for bringing this information to my attention.  If you jump over to their site, you can actually see one of the designs of the closed circuit system laid out.  You can also read more information in the UK’s Times Online article that originally made this announcement.  This could become one of the biggest advances in climbing technology that has surfaced in the last 25 years.

If you were climbing in high altitude, how safe would you feel testing one of these new systems?  Would you be up to try something new, or would you stick with the tried and true?

If this would allow you to go further, longer, it could definitely be an added safety measure-especially since you would never run out of air, unless you couldn’t breathe.  If that were to happen, I don’t think it would matter what system you had on your back.