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That was not me.
I go skiing a lot and I know what it takes out of you at 7-10 k feet above sea level.
You get winded running or briskly walking up a steep street, when normally you have no problem doing that.
last year, when people in here argued until they were blue in the faceover whether visiting teams playing in the Mile High City came in with a disadvantage due to acclimation to breathing at that al ude. Even tougher was having the 2nd game of a back-to-back on the road in Denver.
"These are highly tuned athletes" ...some of you argued.
"It's a figment of your immagination" others claimed.
Even coaches were quoted with varying views, with at least one coach saying that it was poppy- and overstated.
Well more proof supporting the notion that the al ude makes a difference with players:
AI himself. Mr. Boundless energy saying that the thin air of Denver really got to him. He was flat tired. Right there in front of a world-wide audience.
Even Manu said he felt like his lungs were so tight in his chest during the first half...then he got more accustomed to it.
To all the folks in here that were saying the Thin-Air-Excuse is lame...
APOLOGY ACCEPTED.
That was not me.
I go skiing a lot and I know what it takes out of you at 7-10 k feet above sea level.
You get winded running or briskly walking up a steep street, when normally you have no problem doing that.
What you're saying is true, but you're talking about two completely different things. The incline of your street has nothing to do with the low oxygen concentrations at high al udes. But I have no disagreement with your basic premise that it's easier to get winded in Denver.
I was not saying that it was only because of the incline, I am saying that that is the only time I notice me getting winded. I am in pretty good shape aerobically normally, so I do not get winded skiing or just walking, but I do get winded walking up a steep incline, even though I do not get winded in say, San Francisco, doing the same activity...get it?
The al ude is definitely a factor there. There's a pedestrian bridge that we had to go up a flight of stairs to get to and then cross to go from the parking lot to Pepsi Center. Many people (including myself) could barely breathe while crossing it.
My experience is that you need a couple of days to get use to it for "normal" everyday activities, for intense phisycal work you need even longer.
But how about when the Nuggets go to the lower lying cities? Don't they also have an advantage because their bodies are used to the thinner air in Denver?
In a similar situation, people form here going to Las Vegas will notice a drying of the nose and even bleed in some cases. There is definetely a noticable difference when you go to al ude such as Denver. "Heavy breathing" does not raise eyebrows there.
Why do the Nuggets suck, then? The Broncos have always used this as a psychological edge, but it's never seemed to do the Nuggets any good, in a game where you run up and down and up and down. I've been to that al ude, and seen people react differently. My mom had trouble breathing, but then she's prone to asthma. I think professional athletes who are in top shape wouldn't notice nearly as much as us normal folks. Steve Kerr said that as he remembered it, you were gassed after 3-4 minutes game time, but then got your wind again rather quickly.
Steve getting his wind again after spotting up for 3!
If you take Denver's NBA, NFL and NHL teams and you look at their difference between their home and road records over the last 10-15, it's drastic how much better they are at home. I saw a story on it about a year ago and its by far the biggest disparity in sports. If you remember correctly, the Nuggets were always decent at home even when they were horrible.
Having spent many summer in Red River, New Mexico and Telluride, Colorado, the al ude didn't bother me at all in Denver. But I remember the first time I tried hiking in the mountians at high elevation, it was like hiking with a plastic bag over my head.
And you know this how?...it was like hiking with a plastic bag over my head.
LJ.......in search of a score of snow.
My parents' house up in Lake Arrowhead, CA is a mile up also and I definitely get winded walking up their stairs.
Well, I got winded when I was carrying you up those stairs last Fall.
*Looks up Jenny Craig's phone number...*Well, I got winded when I was carrying you up those stairs last Fall.
IMHO the elevation "problem" at Denver is more in peoples heads than in the air density physics...its not like it is at "ski area" al ude...5280 feet is really not that bad...I had a condo in Crested Butte for years that was at about 7500 feet and would spend 3-4 weeks a year there...where you really start physically noticing the difference is above 8000 feet...before they built the "highline" lift we would have to hike up to the top at 12000+ to access the double diamond stuff on the headwall...now THAT was an asskicker hike...300+ feet up in snow wearing ski boots carrying skis and gear...
Ok, I'll do her too.
I could do that, and carry S y on my shoulders.
Using a soccer analogy (which timvp is not very fond off), in the South America World Cup Qualifiers, the ten teams play against each other two games (total of 18 games); one at home, one away. Bolivia, who has only qualified once in the last twenty years, is virtually unbeatable when playing in the al ude of La Paz.
again, La Paz is at 12,000 feet, not 5280 like Denver...
Uh ... how can you say it's in people's head? A lot of people who were there from out of town had to sit down and rest between the parking lot and the arena because they were out of breath. When you get out in the airport in Denver, a lot of people get light-headed right away. It's a real thing.
P.S.
12,000 feet is nothing. Try hiking up to 14,500 feet and fishing in the mouth of an extinct volcano. Now that is tough.
Boy. Cubscouts was pretty demanding, huh?12,000 feet is nothing. Try hiking up to 14,500 feet and fishing in the mouth of an extinct volcano. Now that is tough.
Oh yeah. Did I tell you about the time I climbed K2?
Is that a euphemism?
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