Highest altitude you've been?
 

I once climbed up a peak that was a little over 14,000 feet (4270 meters), but I only stayed there for a few minutes. The highest elevation I've been where I spent a significant length of time was an overnight stay at 11,800 ft (3600m). I didn't have any moderate or severe altitude sickness symptoms during either of those times, but my resting heart rate did go from ~60 beats/minute at sea level to ~90 beats/minute at altitude. My appetite wasn't too great either, and it was virtually impossible to run or bike fast for more than a few seconds.

Any other experiences? No, altitudes achieved by aircraft don't count.

Longs peak, Colorado, 14,000+feet when I was about 20....had a bad headache on top, was very glad to get down to 10,000 feet, watched the afternoon storm lash the peak from the pass below, and felt lots better.

Last time at 10,000 feet was on Mt Ranier, Washington. Camped up there for 3-4 days, waiting to feel good enough for a summit attempt, but just dragged and dragged in the morning. 500 feet below, going back, felt great, but then it was too late. This was a decade ago, i was about 40.

Racked my memory and the best I could muster was the top of Arapahoe Basin ("A-Basin"), CO, ~12,470ft. From middle school years I remembered Caucuses, - Cheget, near Elbrus, but that turned out to be lower (not the top of Elbrus).

Oh, wait, there was also top of Mauna Kea, that's 13,796ft. That's quite a different feeling because in the morning and in the evening of the same day, I was also at ~0ft, too, and at some times within a day or two, at -100ft.

[QUOTE=Oddball;263734]Any other experiences? No, altitudes achieved by aircraft don't count.[/QUOTE]So, [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kittinger#Project_Excelsior"]Joe Kittinger's work[/URL] does not count? Or [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Ship_One#Development_and_winning_the_X_Prize"]Brian Binnie[/URL]? Or [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-15#Highest_flights"]Joe Walker[/URL]? If one of them was here...

I can remember being at a stated height of 9,950.

Vail Mountain at Vail, CO. The town is at 2484m, according to Wikipedia, and the mountain is 3527m. Those are 8120 feet and 11570 feet for those who prefer those units.

I remember it as being a very pleasant stroll out of the town and up the hillside. Not in the least arduous.

I've been to the Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma several times. It's not so high, at only 2423m, but the view from the top is absolutely stunning, especially down into the caldera where the cliff falls essentially vertically for 1500m or so. In the other direction Mount Teide on Tenerife is magnificent, even though it's well over 100km away.

"-- And the lowest you've been?" :rolleyes:
Do I hear -282ft, anyone?

And no, altitudes achieved by batispheres don't count.

[QUOTE=Batalov;263744]"-- And the lowest you've been?" :rolleyes:
Do I hear -282ft, anyone?

And no, altitudes achieved by batispheres don't count.[/QUOTE]I can't beat that bt I've an amusing story to tell. Around ten years ago it was possible to fly from Cambridge to Schipol in a small propeller driven plane operated by Suckling Airways. SA was a husband and wife team, Mrs Suckling prepared the in-flight catering which consisted of home-made sandwiches, some sort of chocolate bar and an apple. The plane had a crew of three and a maximum of 18 passengers. When I flew out, the crew outnumbered the passengers, which probably indicates why SA went out of business a couple of years later.

Anyway, as we approached Amsterdam, we were told that the cloud base was at sea level but there was nothing to worry about because both the airport and the plane had appropriate instruments to make a safe landing. We landed safely and when we got out of the plane we could see that the cloud base was indeed at sea level. The clouds stopped at a well-defined layer a meter or so above our heads. A very strange experience.

Paul

Highest I've been under my own power is 1324m, Aspromonte (Bitter Mountain). Rode from sea level to the top in a bit less than two hours.

Highest I've been with external help (in a car) is ~1780m.

Talk about asking for it....
 

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH6UnvSlahc]8 miles[/url]

David

K2 base camp in Pakistan 5019 metres. Not even prime.

I do not climb mountains. The highest altitude I've driven was at 3832 meters at the "Paso de la Cumbre" mountain pass located on the Argentina-Chile border about 200 km west of Mendoza city.