Safety
High Altitude Safety Guide: AMS, Rescue and River Crossings
Almost every serious incident in the high Himalayas is preceded by an obvious warning that somebody chose to drive past.
The acclimatisation rules
- 01Above 3,000m, raise your sleeping altitude by no more than 500m per night.
- 02Every 1,000m of gain, take a rest night at the same altitude.
- 03Climb high, sleep low. A day trip to 5,000m is far safer than a night at 4,500m.
- 04Never ascend with new symptoms. Never sleep higher with a headache that will not clear.
Recognising the three conditions
| Condition | Looks like | Action |
|---|---|---|
| AMS | Headache, nausea, poor sleep and appetite | Stop ascending, rest, hydrate, reassess in 24h |
| HAPE | Breathless at rest, wet cough, blue lips | Descend immediately, oxygen en route |
| HACE | Confusion, loss of coordination, severe headache | Descend immediately, this is life-threatening |
Descent is the treatment. Everything else buys time to descend.
Oxygen and oximeters
Every convoy carries supplemental oxygen and a pulse oximeter. Readings in the 80s are common at 4,500m and not automatically alarming — what matters is the trend and how the person looks. Oxygen relieves symptoms; it does not fix the underlying problem, so it never replaces going down.
Evacuation planning
- Know the nearest medical facility at each night halt — usually Kaza, Padum, Leh or Keylong.
- Descent by vehicle is nearly always faster than waiting for a helicopter.
- Carry a satellite messenger on plateau routes where there is no network at all.
- Leave your itinerary and vehicle registration with a contact at home.
Water crossings
Glacial streams rise through the day. Cross in the morning, walk the line first, keep momentum steady and send one vehicle at a time with the next positioned to recover it. If you cannot read the bottom, do not enter — camping a night is always cheaper than a drowned engine.
Weather and turning back
Fresh snow on a pass, a rising river, a landslide-prone slope after rain, or failing light are all reasons to stop. Turning back is the most under-used skill in mountain travel and the one that has ended exactly zero of our expeditions badly.
For cold-specific risks, read the winter expedition guide alongside this one.
Downloads
Frequently asked
- What is the safe rate of ascent at high altitude?
- No more than 500m of sleeping altitude gain per night above 3,000m, with a rest night for every 1,000m gained.
- What are the warning signs of HAPE?
- Breathlessness at rest, a persistent wet cough, chest tightness and blue lips or fingertips. This requires immediate descent and oxygen, not a wait-and-see night.
- Do you carry oxygen on your expeditions?
- Yes. Every convoy carries supplemental oxygen and a pulse oximeter, and drivers are briefed on symptom recognition and the descent protocol.
- When is it too dangerous to cross a river?
- If you cannot see or walk the bottom, if the water is above the axle line, or if the flow is visibly rising. Glacial streams peak in the late afternoon, so wait for morning.
Ride with us
Run it with support
Oxygen, oximeters, staged acclimatisation and crew trained to make the descent call — standard on every route we run.
Talk to the expedition deskWritten by
Hello Himalayas Expedition Desk
Route planning & operations, Rohru
Our route planners have run these roads every season since 2015, from Rohru into Spiti, Zanskar and eastern Ladakh. Everything here comes out of the logbook.