International Mountain Guides Oxygen Systems

by Eric Simonson

I started working on my own system in the early 1990's after I became dissatisfied with the service and accountability I was getting from foreign suppliers. Problems such as poorly fitted valves, lack of quality control, and unreliable shipping made me decide that I needed a system for our IMG Expedition teams that I could monitor and control at every step of the process. I wanted to know for sure what our teams were using and know for sure that it was going to work right!

Since 1991 IMG has used a system that I have developed. We have had great success with this system — on dozens of expeditions — and gotten over 300 people to the top of Cho Oyu and Everest. We currently own nearly 300 of these American made cylinders, over 65 regulators, and over 80 masks — enough to simultaneously run multiple teams on Everest and Cho Oyu. Having a proprietary system means that no one will steal our bottles at the Balcony, South Summit, or high camps.

We start with carbon fiber wrapped aluminum cylinders made in California with a volume of about 525 cu in. Our cylinders are prepared by our longtime IMG oxygen supplier, with whom we have worked for many years. Before filling they are chemically cleaned, valved with new burst disks, and then pressurized with aviation grade dehumidified oxygen to 3000 psi. The full cylinder weighs about 7 kilos, and holds over 1800 liters of oxygen. This is enough for 10 hours at 3 LPM, 15 hours at 2 LPM, 30 hours at 1 LPM.

We know that everything will be handled correctly, with no shortcuts. The cylinders are hydro tested every 3 years, per USDOT regulations, regardless of condition. They must be retired after 10 years, regardless of their condition.

For these to be legally shipped by air they must be packaged in special boxes and dangerous cargo paperwork and documentation must be accomplished. IMG is registered with the TSA as a "known shipper" which is required to export dangerous cargo. Oxygen can be flown on a passenger jet (unlike propane canisters, which must go on a freighter aircraft), as long as the total quantity of gas in each baggage hold does not exceed specifications for various aircraft. Thus, to ship a large quantity to Kathmandu, it might take several different flights.

In Kathmandu, the gas cylinders either clear Nepal customs (duty paid at this time for use in Nepal), or go to a bonded warehouse for transit to Tibet (for Cho Oyu, Everest North, Shishapangma). Transit requires special permits from several Nepal ministries, a process that takes some time to complete. If the oxygen is going to Tibet, it must go in a bonded truck to the border and we must deal with both Nepal customs at Tatopani and finally the Chinese customs at Zhangmu, where duty is ultimately paid on the cylinders, since they are considered a "consumable" item.

To import the oxygen into Nepal we pay a garbage deposit to the Ministry of Toursim which is not refunded until the cylinders are re-exported from the country. Now, we must show the actual airwaybill proving that we sent the cylinders out of Nepal before we can get our money back.

The actual use of oxygen on the mountain is based on the expedition philosophy. In addition to medical oxygen which is placed at camps for emergency, we generally start using O2 on Cho Oyu at C3 (24,500), on the North Side of Everest starting at about 25,000 feet, and on the South Side of Everest starting at C3 at 24,500. It is very important that climbers familiarize themselves with how the system works prior to plugging in at high altitude! In particular, switching bottles is notoriously difficult if it is cold, dark, windy, or snowing. With high-pressure oxygen any contamination in the valve or threads by dirt or ice can render the entire system unusable. Additionally, the risk of a devastating fire or explosion increases with any contamination or mistreatment of the valves or cylinders. This stuff needs to be handled carefully, and it is critical that climbers take the time to practice with the bottles. Out of thousands of cylinders which our teams have used over the years, we have never had a bottle failure. We HAVE had people make mistakes attaching regulators, adjusting flow rates, etc. Practice, Practice, Practice!!!

We will provide medical oxygen for emergency use and also additional oxygen to use for practice, especially to assist climbers in getting proficient with the arrangement of masks and goggles, and to understand how the mask will effect vision (it is harder to see your feet!) . Again, it is critical that climbers have had the chance to practice with the oxygen system prior to the summit bid.

For the summit bid on the South Side we will provide 1 bottle at C3, 2 bottles at C4, and 1 bottle at Balcony. This system has worked successfully on many expeditions. Climbers sleep on O2 at C3 and use the same bottle to get up to C4 the next day. They have a full bottle at the Col just for sleeping. One full bottle is used by the climber to go to the Balcony, at which point it is exchanged for another full bottle carried up by a Sherpa (the remaining half bottle is left at the Balcony). The second full bottle should be enough to go from the Balcony to the Top and back to the Col. If climbers are slow or if there is a problem, the half full bottle left at the Balcony is for backup.

On Cho Oyu we have oxygen for sleeping at Camp 3 and for the summit day each climber has a cylinder to go to the top and back down, normally to Camp 2.

We use regulators that give a wide range of flow rates. We always make sure that every climbing team has several back-up regulators with them in case of problem. Each regulator is provided with an extra "O" ring, which can be damaged if climbers are not attentive on how the regulators are attached. We also provide plastic "splitters" which make it possible for climbers to share a bottle. This is useful for sharing a cylinder for sleeping in a tent, and also for an emergency. For sleeping, most climbers will use 0.5 or 1.0 LPM, for moderate climbing something like 2.0 or 2.5 LPM, and for going hard on summit day, will turn up to 3.0 LPM. More than this just wastes oxygen.

We've experimented with several different masks over the years. We currently have British, American, and Russian masks, and we encourage everyone to try on different ones to see what works best for them. The best mask for any climber is the one that fits the best, and this depends a lot on the bone structure of each climber's face. If the mask leaks, it causes the goggles to fog, which is a big problem. Beards are not recommended for good fit. Climbers are encouraged to shave. IMG climbers can try several different masks to make sure they a mask that works well for them.

For most climbers, our favorite mask is the TopOut system (www.topout.co.uk) made in the UK. We will supply a TopOut mask to each of our IMG climbers. The TopOut mask includes a patented reservoir system that enhances the efficiency of the mask, allowing climbers' oxygen to last longer and be more effectively utilized by the lungs.

Regarding the cleanup and removal of cylinders from the mountains, I'm happy to report that this problem has been largely remedied through the combined efforts of climbers and Sherpas, the Sagermartha Park on the Nepal side of Everest (which requires a deposit to be paid on cylinders), and the forces of the free market. IMG had paid thousands of dollars over the years to have bottles carried back down and re-exported to USA. We make every effort to recover 100% of our oxygen bottles. Ultimately, it makes good business sense to bring them down, since they can be re-filled. Our IMG teams have brought back to the USA most of the cylinders we have used in the past 18 years.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Himalayan Programs Director
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