Altitude Sickness
Things you should know and do when one has the feelings and symptoms of altitude sickness.
Even if you’re physically fit, you can still experience altitude sickness.
If you travel to a high elevation without letting your body adjust to the new altitude, you may experience altitude sickness. Symptoms include headache, nausea and other related symptoms. If you return to a lower elevation, your symptoms will likely to go away without needing treatment. In severe cases, altitude sickness can be life-threatening.
Avoid traveling from a low elevation to an elevation higher than 9,000 feet (2,750m) above sea level in one day. The best way to prevent altitude Sickness is to go slow – call acclimatization. If you have traveled to high altitudes before and have a history of acute altitude sickness, medication00s like acetazolamide (also call Diamond) may be helpful. If in doubt, consult your doctor.
A few words about Air Travel
There are aspects of travel that we can’t control. If the price of aviation fuel sky-rockets, we may get hit with a fuel surcharge. This could happen at any time, even right after the airport check-in counter. Bring a credit card with you just in case. If your luggage is 1 pound overweight expect to pay $50 or $100 (keep that card handy), or have a back-up plan (room in your carry-on, or a friend with room in their bag). If the airline decides that your suitcase is bag number 1, and your boots bag is bag number 2, then you have to pay for your skis in bag number 3 (and who knows how much that could be in January). It may help if you’re belong to the airline’s frequent flyer club to not have to pay extra fees for luggage. Telling them that you are with the Joliet Ski Club, and have already paid for your trip, will only result in hysterical laughter. Please pay attention as we will let you know which airline has been assigned and closer to travel dates, there will be more accurate information.
A word about Bus Quotes, and Trip Pricing
Bus quotes have gone up and fuel is one of the main reasons. But since the cost of diesel has been elevated for a while, we are seeing high prices, but we are less likely to have surcharges tacked on later. We will have updated prices for trips in the current newsletters. We are using all our contacts and experience to fight the good fight so we can have more skiers on our trips.
Passport
A passport is required for trips out of the United States. Note: A single criminal conviction, no matter how minor or how long ago, is grounds for exclusion from Canada, meaning, you will not be allowed entry into that country. If you have such a conviction on your record, please contact an attorney for legal advice to obtain the necessary documentation which will be required for entry into Canada before signing up for a Canada trip.
Trip Insurance
Trip insurance is something you might want to consider for a long weekends ski trip. This is especially important for those going on international trips. The primary purpose for carrying trip insurance is for trip cancellation coverage because of illness or injury which could prevent you from taking the trip. Trip insurance (or check your personal insurance) can provide medical coverage while on the trip (most folks don’t no this), but if you need medical assistance while outside the U.S. (like while on a trip ski trip), many health insurance providers, while saying that you will be covered for medical expenses, will not pay your hospital bill until after you return to the U.S.. If you are hospitalized while on a ski trip outside of the U.S., you will have to pay your hospital bill out of your own pocket while on the trip in order to get released from a non-U.S. hospital and then you will have to get reimbursed from your health insurance provider when you return to the states. That’s why having trip insurance that carries medical coverage would be a good idea.
The Ski Club is not coordinating the purchase of group trip insurance for any of our travelers, but the plan to purchase it has been done in the past by ski club members. It is very reasonably priced. If you wish to purchase trip insurance on your own, you are more than welcome to contact the following organizations to do so or purchase it through whatever travel broker you wish.
— Travel Guard’s Club Travel Plans, Phone: 800/208–6173,
— Myra Altschuler, Travel Protectors, LLC. 18415 Lanier Island Square, Leeburg, VA 20176 www.travelprotectors.com or via e-mail to myra@travelprotectors.com or via telephone at 877/515–9055 or 703/443-9055. (Note: Mira is a travel broker who specializes in finding the best trip insurance product to suit your needs. I have purchased trip insurance from her in the past and have found her to be quite knowledgeable.)