# What's the highest elevation you've ever been? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 3, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606 "2011-05-03T19:24:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/1 "2011-05-03T19:24:31Z")
What’s the highest elevation you’ve ever been (on land, as in not in a plane)? Stories please! Especially if you checked off 29,029 ft.! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/2 "2011-05-03T19:26:36Z")
11,711 - Mt. Phillips, Philmont Scout Ranch, Cimarron, NM. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/3 "2011-05-03T19:27:43Z")
I live at 8,500-ft and the highest I have been is 20,000k+ (Kilimanjaro). The only thing I can say is that living at 8500-ft made my acclimatization that much easier, no puking like the rest of my crew. Plus, I spend a lot of time hiking the Colorado 14-ers as many of them are in my back yard 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/4 "2011-05-03T19:29:59Z")
I think your 10,001 to 15,000 tab is going to be supersaturated. A number of Colorado Fourteeners; Massive, Elbert, Blanca, several thirteeners like the East and West Spanish Peaks and I’m not sure what that one pass was along the Inca Trail. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/5 "2011-05-03T19:30:57Z")
We hit just over 15,000 feet during our trek to Machu Picchu. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/6 "2011-05-03T19:32:24Z")
For me, just 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) – the height of [Mount Kosciuszko](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kosciuszko). It was an easy walk to the summit. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/7 "2011-05-03T19:34:29Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I think your 10,001 to 15,000 tab is going to be supersaturated. Probably. My 10 seconds of Google research tells me that the average worldwide mountain peak height is roughly 13,000 ft. The stories people have to share are going to be the most interesting part of this, hopefully. I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries on climbing lately and I’m kind of obsessed with it at the moment. I’ve been looking for a way to get in shape and I find climbing to be particularly fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/8 "2011-05-03T19:35:02Z")
I’ve been to the Visitors Center of Mt. Haleakal on Maui - 9740 ft (ETA: corrected). ETA: Since **DCnDC** wants stories, here’s mine - we drove up (what, I’m gonna **hike** up that thing?), and when I got out of the car, without thinking, I lit up a cigarette (this was back in my smoking days). Then I almost passed out. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/9 "2011-05-03T19:35:44Z")
Made it to about 17,000 feet on Kilimanjaro. My dad started getting hypothermic at that point (he had sweated earlier during the ascent), so my mom and I went back down to Kibo hut with him while my brother continued to the summit with the guide. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/10 "2011-05-03T19:39:42Z")
14,505 ft (Mt. Whitney) Second highest (just across the valley): White Mountain @ 14,252 ft ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/11 "2011-05-03T19:45:43Z")
Top of [Longs Peak](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.25585,-105.61419&spn=0.016703,0.029311&t=p&z=15), Colorado, 14,200 and change. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/12 "2011-05-03T19:58:07Z")
> [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](#): > > ETA: Since **DCnDC** wants stories, here’s mine - we drove up (what, I’m gonna **hike** up that thing?), and when I got out of the car, without thinking, I lit up a cigarette (this was back in my smoking days). Then I almost passed out. Funny. I was visiting a friend in Missoula, MT (3,209 ft.) about a decade ago and one of the first things we did after getting there was go up [Mt. Sentinal](http://www.saroff.com/shows/random_summer_06_02/1.jpg) (up to the big “M”, ). Most of us on the trip were heavy smokers at the time and having been born and raised around DC (elevation 0 - 409 ft.), it’s fair to say we were woefully unprepared for the vast difference in elevation. Being young and stupid, we were stopping at the turning point of every switchback for a smoke break and needless to say _very_ slowly making our way up toward the top. Locals would pass us going up while we were on our smoke breaks low on the hillside and then pass us coming back down from the top before we even made it to the next turn. We gave up only 4-5 switchbacks up, and one of our buddies ended up bedridden the next couple of days with what we now recognize as mild altitude sickness, although at the time we diagnosed him with a severe case of pussy-ness (again, we were young and stupid :p). ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/13 "2011-05-03T20:09:48Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > I live at 8,500-ft and the highest I have been is 20,000k+ (Kilimanjaro). Did you bring a 800+ ft ladder? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/14 "2011-05-03T20:11:01Z")
When I get back from work I’ll copy my story from the Raffe\* on hiking/climbing Longs Peak. It’s a pretty good one. \*I don’t go there at work, it has pictures you know. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/15 "2011-05-03T20:27:50Z")
17,800’ crossing Thorong La while trekking in Nepal. ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/16 "2011-05-03T20:30:56Z")
I climbed [Stok Kangri](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stok_kangri) in India (20,135ft). Been up above 15,000 a few times in Nepal, Tibet and Sichaun as well. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/17 "2011-05-03T20:59:33Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Did you bring a 800+ ft ladder? Oops, 19.3k, you are right … maybe I was too high to read the wooden plaque 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/18 "2011-05-03T21:04:37Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Stories please! Especially if you checked off 29,029 ft.! I have a good friend who climbed Everest last year, maybe I’ll ask her to stop by and post. ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/19 "2011-05-03T21:24:23Z")
I have been to La Paz Bolivia. The city is built on hills so the elevation changes from 9,840’ to 13,450’. The airport is the highest international airport in the world at 13,325. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606/20 "2011-05-03T21:49:09Z")
[Jungfraujoch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungfraujoch), Switzerland. 11,332 feet. Reached via a very steep railway, much of which runs inside the mountain. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-elevation-youve-ever-been/580606.md?page=2)