Its important stuff… oh, and is proven Tea is better for you than water!
At high altitude there is less oxygen available to all the people who are up here. It happens because we are over a mile above sea level and the air is thinner. This affects the body in numerous ways.
The first noticeable one is that you may feel more tired than usual and walking up hills can be very tiring. Thankfully there are free buses running all over resort that you can hop on and off anytime for free! You will be tired because of the lack of oxygen at this level in the atmosphere which means that your blood cannot carry enough blood around your body, which makes you tired. Your blood is made up of lots of different cells floating around in a solution pumped around the body by your heart. You can get used to being at altitude because your body starts changing the make up of your blood. This can take up to three weeks, so if any of you have been here for longer than that, you will have a big advantage over the rest of us. This is because you have a higher concentration of red blood cells, which are the ones which carry oxygen. You have made more of these to compensate for the lower levels of oxygen in the air. You will find exercise easier and will take longer to get drunk than us who are new to resort.
The other big danger in Tignes is that the air is very very dry up here. This means you loose moisture and become dehydrated much faster than normal and also makes old bread absolutely solid. Your blood can thicken if you are dehydrated and can cause you to have a fit. The easiest ways to dehydrate yourself is to drink a lot of alcohol and to exercise. This means if you are out all day on the slopes and then go to a pub or have some chalet wine you are at high risk of being dehydrated.
Luckily in Tignes there are lots of mountain restaurants and lots of places to get some water (or a cup of tea) during your day. Water can be expensive up the hill, so it is recommended to take a bottle or two with you in your pockets or in a backpack. You can drink this at anytime on the hill and you can refill them everyday to reduce, reuse and recycle the bottles. In nearly all the bars and restaurants in resort a pint of water will cost you nothing.
If you have decided to go out for a big one, you need to drink lots of water before you go to bed and then some more when you get up. If you get really drunk and have a little bit of sleep then go out on the hill then you could stumble into real trouble. There was a man who went out with his friends and danced the night away then went up to ski in the morning after a couple of days on the lash. He was chatting away on the chairlift when he suffered a huge fit. His friend tried to keep hold of him, but not far from the top, he dropped onto the slopes below. The Pisteurs came to the rescue, but it was found that the man had almost no water in his body at all!! He had drunk himself dry, literally, which caused a fit which caused him to slip off a chairlift.
I am not trying to scare all of you away from Tignes and make you worry throughout your holiday, but trying to explain how living in the Mountains is completely different than being at home. The altitude affects all of us in different ways, but as long as you drink a lot of water and rest as well as play, everyone will have an amazing time.
So you have all been warned about life over a mile above sea level. I hope you all have the greatest experience of your life being here; it is a beautiful place so go out and enjoy it.
Just a final note; It has been proven that a cup of tea is more beneficial than a cup of water. This is great news to all who love their tea. The greatest brew of all that I highly recommend is a large mug of Yorkshire Tea.
