Another high altitude danger!

I know about about the grave dangers posed by being in high-altitude, like pulmonary edema or cerebral edema suffered, more notably by mountain climbers in the Himalayas. 

What I didn’t know much about though, was the parallel effect of high altitude on flatulence, more commonly known as "passing wind", or "farting". Evidently, it seems that the higher one gets (on the mountain), the more one will be likely to fart. I recently read an article on SnowBrains that opened up my mind and my nostrils to that eminent and unpleasant danger. 

According to the article, the syndrome, to use a more scientific term, is known as High Altitude Flatus Expulsion or HAFE. Yes, you are reading correctly, high mountain living can make people fart more and could be a handy excuse when climbing with other folks in a social setting. One just needs to remember that article.

Unlike its debilitating pulmonary version, this syndrome is mostly a benign inconvenience, unless you are following very closely a serial farter. Further, informal studies have shown that skiers prefer Park City to most Colorado resorts located at a higher altitude, not just because they can breathe easier, but the air smells much, much better. 

Sure, if one happens to pass wind, we’re not talking about an exculpatory evidence if it happens at low altitude, like anything below 11,000 feet as the research results assert, but it’s always good to keep that powerful, scientific excuse in mind next time it could be needed!