Why do Mountaineers Carry Oxygen Cylinders

Why do mountaineers carry oxygen cylinders with them?

The air pressure falls as the height increases. As we ascend further up the mountain, the air available diminishes. Shortness of breath might occur due to the reduction in oxygen levels.

• It’s because as people climb mountains, the amount of oxygen in the airdrops increases as the altitude rises since trees are scarce at higher altitudes
• As you climb higher in height, the air pressure drops
• The air pressure is too low at the mountain’s peak for oxygen to penetrate the bloodstream selectively

Mountaineers utilise oxygen cylinders when climbing high mountain summits since altitude rises with altitude. As altitude rises, the amount of oxygen available decreases. Because trees are not prevalent at high elevations, the amount of oxygen gas in the atmosphere decreases. As a result, some regions of their bodies do not receive enough oxygen gas. Dizziness and hypoxia are possible side effects.

Oxygen is carried in compact, portable cylinders and utilised for high-altitude mountaineering. Scuba diving and inhaling gas may both be done with oxygen cylinders. During surgery, oxygen cylinders can also be utilised. Twenty-six thousand feet and above is considered the death zone altitude. In 1953, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans were the first to employ a closed-circuit oxygen cylinder. 

Mountaineers may experience dizziness as a result of the low air pressure. Hypoxia is another possibility. Hypoxia is when a part of the body does not receive enough oxygen at the tissue level. 

To avoid concerns like dizziness and hypoxia, mountaineers carry oxygen cylinders while climbing any high mountain summits.

As a result, high-altitude mountaineers frequently carry compressed oxygen cylinders.