THE SUGAR
ADDICTED
CLIMBER
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A HIGH CONSUMPTION OF REFINED SUGAR IS A BAD THING FOR HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING. WHILST THE SUGAR BUZZ WILL GET YOU THROUGH A WEEKEND, EXTENDED TRIPS THAT ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH ISSUES WITH ALTITUDE, COLD & HIGH ENERGY DEMANDS HAVE LITTLE TO GAIN FROM BRINGING A BIG CHUNK OF YOUR KCALS ALONG AS SUGAR. OF COURSE SOME SUGAR IS NEEDED IN YOUR DIET, AND A BIT IS NICE HERE AND THERE TO SHARPED THE MIND & MOOD, BUT TIME AND AGAIN WE SEE THE WAY HIGH SUGAR CONSUMPTION BRINGS WITH IT PROBLEMS, AS WELL AS NOTICE THE ABSENCE OF THESE ISSUES WHEN CLIMBERS LIMIT IT IN THEIR DIETS.
IT’S NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE CLIMBERS BRING ALONG BOXES OF ‘COMFORT FOOD’ THAT ARE BASICALLY SUGAR. FOR MANY PEOPLE THE ASSOCIATION WITH SUPER SWEET CANDY, PASTRY & BARS IS LINKED TO RWEARD AND DOWNTIME, BUT NEARLY ALWAYS AFTER A WEEK OR TWO IT GETS DISMISSED AS CRAVINGS FOR OTHER FOODS – USUALLY WHOLE STUFF – SETS IN. OF ALL THE FOODS THAT CLIMBERS HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH OVER THE COURSE OF AN EXPEDITION, IT’S SWEET STUFF LIKE SNICKERS, CLIF BARS, CHEWS & ALPEN CAKE THAT THEY ARE LEFT GAGGING AT OVER THE MERE MENTION BY THE END. THE CLIMBER WHO HAS BASED THEIR ON-MOUNTAIN FOOD AROUND A LOT OF SUGAR IS NEARLY ALWAYS STARING DOWN THE BARREL OF PROBLEMS LATER ON.
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THE MOODS
THE HIGHS & LOWS OF A SUGAR HABIT ARE WELL OBSERVED AND LIKE A TREADMILL FOR MANY. THE PREDICTABLE PUSH INTO A BRAIN STARVED OF EASY FUEL WITH THE DARK THOUGHTS AND EDGY REACTIONS, THEN THE QUICK HIGH OF A SUGAR HIT FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER HOURS DESCENT INTO BRAIN-STARVE CAN BE AN UNPLEASANT CYCLE – USUALLY WORSE FOR THE PARTNERS. EVERYBODY HAS UPS & DOWNS, BUT RELIANCE ON SUGAR KCALS IS GUARANTEED TO MAKE A SOAP OPERA OF IT AS THE BRAIN WITH A FUEL SOURCE ILL-FITTING FOR THE LEVEL OF ATTENTION IT NEEDS TO PUT OUT.
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THE WITHDRAWALS
EVEN ON SHORT TRIPS THERE’S A PHASE OF WITHDRAWAL AS CLIMBERS SETTLE INTO AN EXPEDITION DIET MORE ALIGNED WITH THEIR NEEDS THAN THOSE OF BACK IN CIVILIZATION, AND THE CRAVING FOR SUGAR IS OBVIOUS. FOR SOME IT’S JUST A LONGING FOR SOMETHING SWEET, BUT FOR OTHERS IT CAN BE A PROCESS OF HEADACHES, AGITATION & TWITCHINESS RIGHT AT A TIME WHEN THE TEAM CAN BE SETTLING INTO IT’S MOMENTUM. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THIS IS ISN’T IDEAL ON A TRIP THE SCALE & EXPENSE OF K2.
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THE WEIGHT
AT A FUNDAMENTAL WEIGHT:FUNCTION RATIO SUGAR JUST DOESN’T STACK UP. EVEN IN THE BEST OF TIMES LIKE RUNNING A MARATHON AT SEA LEVEL, YOU CAN ONLY INGEST A FEW HUNDRED KCALS AT A TIME, SO MAKING THOSE PRECIOUS KCALS WHITE SUGAR MEANS HAVING TO CARRY A LOT MORE TARE.
UP HIGH WHERE GRAMS START TO REALLY COUNT AND YOUR DAYS ARE WORKED OUT TO THE NTH DEGREE, CARRYING YOUR KCAL NEEDS AS SWEET STUFF IS A BAD CHOICE. THE SAME KCAL DENSITY IN GOOD QUALITY BARS (POTENTIALLY HOMEMADE FROM FRESH STUFF IN BASECAMP DURING THE RECOVERY DAYS) WEIGHS HALF THAT OF A POCKET FULL OF SNICKERS, GELS & CHEWS. IT’S CRAZY TO SEE CLIMBERS WHO HAVE REMOVED THE EXCESS STRAPS FROM THEIR GEAR THEN CARRY 10 X THAT IN ‘ENERGY’ BARS THAT DON;T DO THE JOB WELL.
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THE SLUMP
NOTHING SUCKS MORE THAN CLIMBING WITH SOMEONE IN A SUGAR SLUMP. LIKE A DESPERADO FROM A HUNTER S THOMPSON STORY, THE STRUNG OUT SUGAR ADDICT MAKES BAD CHOICES, IS EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE & IS UNRELIABLE WHEN DOING SOMETHING THAT REALLY DOESN’T VALUE THOSE ATTRIBUTES. THE SLUMPING CLIMBER LAGS BEHIND, CAN TAKE DANGEROUS SHORTCUTS WITH USING EQUIPMENT & GENERALLY BECOMES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE REST OF THE TEAM. THE PROBLEM HERE IS THE SOLUTION – MORE SUGAR TO QUICKLY KICK THE BRAIN BACK INTO GEAR – ONLY RESTARTS THE LOOP, AS THE REAL SOLUTION CAN’T HAPPEN DURING THE SHORT PERIOD OF A CYCLE UP HIGH.
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THE CRAP ENERGY
THE SHARP SPIKE OF ENERGY FROM A SUGAR HIT, ASIDE FROM BEING BRIEF, IS LIKE THE QUALITY, STABLE ENERGY SUPPLY FROM COMPLEX FOODS AND FATS. SIMPLE SUGAR ENERGY IS MORE LIKE A BUZZ FOR THE NERVOUS SYSTEM THAN ANY KIND OF FUEL FOR THE MUSCLES, AND THE FEELING OF BEING CHARGED IS MOSTLY MENTAL RATHER THAN SYSTEMIC. AS PART OF A GREATER ENERGY SURGE – DRAWN FROM COMPLEX FOODS THAT DON’T HAVE THE SAME EFFECT ON BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS – SOME SIMPLE SUGARS ARE GOOD TO ROUND THINGS OUT, BUT THE ROLLER-COASTER OF SIMPLE SUGAR INJECTION AND DEFICIT IN THE BLOODSTREAM DOES LITTLE TO ACTUALLY REPLENISH THE MUSCLES GLYCOGEN NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOUR BRAIN THINKS IT WILL.
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YOUR TEETH
WE ALL KNOW SUGAR ROTS YOUR TEETH, AND OVER THE COURSE OF A LONG TRIP WHERE ORAL HYGEINE MIGHT GO A BIT SOUTH, TOO MUCH SUGAR OPENS YOU TO TOOTH & GUM PROBLEMS THAT CAN BECOME HELL WHEN THE NEAREST DENTIST IS A WEEK AWAY. DRINKING SUGAR-LADEN MIXTURES CONSTANTLY INSTEAD OF WATER AS A PRECAUTION FOR DEHYDRATION IS AN EASY WAY OF CONSUMING DOZENS MORE GRAMS OF THE STUFF EACH DAY. DISPROPORTIONATE TO THE BENEFITS OF THE WATER ITSELF, THE CONSTANT BATH OF SUGAR BEING TERRIBLE FOR YOUR MOUTH.
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THE SOLUTION
AT BEST SUGAR SHOULD BE VIEWED AS A PICK ME UP THE SAME WAY COFFEE IS – A HIT OR TWO A DAY RATHER THAN A CONSTANT. AT THIS LEVEL SUGAR GOES FROM BEING A NECESSITY TO BEING A USEFUL UPPER FOR LONG DAYS, EARLY STARTS, FEELING COLD IN THE NIGHT & TIMES YOU NEED TO PUSH HARD. BUT IT CAN ONLY BE THIS IF ALREADY REDUCED IN THE BODY’S NORMAL FUELLING STATUS QUO.
THE WAY TO GET HERE IS TO REDUCE AND NORMALIZE A DIET LOW IN REFINED SUGARS WELL BEFORE YOUR TRIP BEGINS, CHANGING YOUR BODY AND BRAIN’S ENERGY SUPPLY TO BETTER QUALITY SOURCES OF FUEL LIKE COMPLEX FOODS WITH COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, COMPLEX SUGARS & SUGAR IN IT’S MOST UNREFINED FORMS. THIS IS A PROCESS THAT TAKES MONTHS, NOT THE TIME OF YOUR FLIGHT. IT’S WELL DOCUMENTED THAT FAT METABOLISM IS HINDERED AT ALTITUDE, MAKING CARBOHYDRATE THE ONLY REAL SOURCE OF REPLENISHABLE ENERGY, SO THE BETTER THOSE SOURCES ARE THE MORE SMOOTH YOUR SYSTEM WILL RUN, AND BY LIVING AND PREPARING WITH A MINIMAL-SUGAR DIET YOU ADAPT TO A BETTER FUELLING CYCLE. PERENNIALLY THERE’S TALK OF FASTED TRAINING THAT CLAIMS TO HELP WITH COAXING THE BODY TO CHOOSE FAT OVER CARBOHYDRATE, FURTHER FREEING THE SYSTEM FROM THE DICTATION OF SUGAR, BUT WE WILL LEAVE THAT ARGUMENT TO THE SPORTS SCIENTISTS.
THIS ARTICLE ISN’T AN EFFORT TO CONVERT ANYONE’S DIET TO ANYTHING OTHER THAN SOMETHING OBSERVEDLY MORE APPROPRIATE TO THE TASKS AT HAND ON AN EXPEDITION. IT WILL ALSO EXPLAIN WHY OUR MENUS DON’T INCLUDE THE INFAMOUS JARS OF TANG & RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLIF BARS NORMALLY SEEN. IN BOTH CASES FAR SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVES EXIST.
