To every tourist visiting Manali, in the Kullu valley, the Rohtang pass (3980Mts or 13,134 feet) is a must see destination. This high altitude pass is the gateway to the cold arid region of Lahul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. A motorable road makes it easily accessible from Manali, that is at 2050mts and only 51kms below. Every summer, thousands of tourists throng to the pass for the breathtaking view it offers. To many, it’s a lifetimes experience but to some its life threatening for they fall prey to acute mountain sickness.
High altitude areas offer spectacular scenic beauty but most people especially those living in the plains have no idea that they can be silent killers. Mountaineers and high altitude trekkers are well aware of this fact but general interest tourists have no idea that high altitude areas can be fatal. Perhaps, because they seldom venture into these areas. The Rohtang pass is the only area in Himachal Pradesh where general interest tourists often enter higher altitude areas so casually.
Most people may not experience any problem related to altitude upto 10,000 feet, but beyond this height, the atmosphere is only half of that found at sea level and oxygen levels are dangerously thin which makes breathing difficult even for those in good physical condition and acute mountain sickness becomes a possibility. Mountain sickness can affect anyone and the symptoms include breathlessness even at rest, headache, dizziness, redness of the face and in extreme cases vomiting and fainting, which requires immediate medical help. Its surprising, no tourist guide or taxi driver in Manali will tell you this when they take you up to Rohtang pass and there are no warnings signs of altitude sickness on the way to the pass. As a result, unfit people and children visit the pass every year and fall ill. Hundreds are treated every season at the make shift hospital at Marhi, 17 kms below the pass.
In addition, the weather can change rapidly at these heights. I remember crossing the pass on a bright sunny September morning last year and when I got back after an hour or so, it had started to snow on the pass. I was lucky to cross over. The pass was closed to traffic for five days!
So the next time you pack your bags and head for the hills, know the altitude basics and travel with caution to high altitude areas.