Hypoxic pre-acclimatization
Backed by more than 20 years of expertise with hypoxic systems, we make pre-acclimatization effortless. Boosting your performance and maximizing your chances of success. With our unique technology, you can now acclimatize in the comfort of your own home, using the world’s only sleeping tent capable of simulating altitudes up to 7,000 m. The ideal way to prepare for extreme heights and your next big adventure. Since 2002, we’ve pioneered the use of hypoxic systems for expedition preparation. By 2016, we were already making Everest climbs possible with advanced pre-acclimatization in hypoxic tents. In 2018, we made history as the first Everest operator to complete a successful expedition in under three weeks. Every team member summited in just 21 days. A revolution in Everest history. Since then, our Flash™ Expedition has become a flagship part of our program. Today, we proudly hold the record for the fastest Everest expedition: from London to the summit and back in less than 7 days. We’ve also achieved K2 in 21 days, Manaslu in 12, Ama Dablam in just 8, and Broad Peak in 14.
What is Hypoxia and How Does it Affect the Human Body?
At high altitudes, the barometric pressure drops significantly, causing the oxygen content in the inspired air to decline rapidly. This phenomenon is known as hypobaric hypoxia, a reduced oxygen concentration in the air due to lower atmospheric pressure. When exposed to hypoxia, the human body undergoes a series of adaptations. The most relevant responses include an increase in ventilation (hyperventilation), a thickening of the blood due to elevated fluid loss, a rise in heart rate, and an increase in cardiac output.
Acute hypoxia significantly reduces physical performance, as the lower oxygen partial pressure at high altitude limits oxygen uptake in the blood and thereby restricts aerobic energy production. As a result, maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂max) decreases, impacting endurance performance more strongly than short, intense, anaerobic efforts. Fatigue sets in earlier, as the body switches more quickly to anaerobic metabolism and lactate begins to accumulate. Heart rate and ventilation rate both rise in an attempt to compensate for the lack of oxygen, though performance cannot be fully maintained. Overall, the performance threshold shifts downward, particularly during longer or more intense efforts.
The important thing to know: none of these reactions are irreversible. Once oxygen levels in the air increase again, all parameters quickly return to baseline. Similarly, when the human body is exposed to hypoxia over an extended period of time, it develops characteristic adaptive responses that enhance performance and resilience to high altitude.