Lack of Oxygen

When I first arrived to Breckenridge in mid-to-end of October, I immediately felt the effects of the altitude. As you go up higher above sea level, the less oxygen there is, and it's an interesting effect. The first few days I felt almost high, and my body was screaming for water. After a week or so, I finally got used to the lack of oxygen - and drinking tons of water everyday.

There are two effects that I'm still feeling - one and a half months after moving to a town that boasts an altitude of over 9,000 feet (mind you, that's the base of the town - I live probably another 500 or so feet above that, and ski between 1k to 2k feet above that number). First - alcohol packs quite a punch. Oy. A beer feels almost like two beers. I've been avoiding the hard stuff just because it gets too much for me.

Secondly - one that I've been thinking about all morning - I went skiing this morning (that's the awesome thing about living one and a half mile away from a resort, and that work starts at noon ...) and each time I go skiing, I find myself out of breath twice / thrice as quick as I used to back East at sea level. While it's a good workout in the land of less oxygen, sometimes it sucks to finally catch your breath a half hour after you skied your last run. Your entire body feel the workout - it's a good feeling, but I look forward to catching my breath just a tad quicker.