Calorie Intake and Appetite Loss on the Summit Push
Your body burns up to 10,000 calories on summit day. But altitude suppresses appetite. Managing nutrition is a critical skill for any Mount Everest expedition climber.
Carbohydrates require less oxygen to metabolize than fats or proteins. Climbers survive on energy gels, chocolate, and noodle soups. The goal is easy-to-digest energy.
Dehydration increases altitude sickness risk. Melting snow for water takes hours. Climbers must force themselves to drink, even when not thirsty, to keep blood viscosity low during the Everest summit push.
At Base Camp, anything goes. Pizza, sushi, steak. Eating what you love helps maintain weight before the climb. Once high up, it's strictly survival rations.
You cannot climb Everest on an empty tank. Force feeding is part of the discipline of high-altitude mountaineering.
