Trips & expeditions
What should I eat and drink at high altitude?
Eat food that soaks rather than cooks, season it more than you would at home, and drink at least four litres a day. Instant noodles, couscous, instant mashed potato, quick oats and freeze-dried meals all work at any height, because they only need hot water. Rice and pasta still cook at base camps, slowly; dried beans and lentils need a pressure cooker.
Why food behaves differently at altitude
Water boils at lower temperatures as you climb: about 86°C187°F at Plaza de Mulas on Aconcagua, 83°C181°F at Everest Base Camp, 72°C162°F on Everest's summit. Rice starch softens at about 68 to 78°C154 to 172°F, so rice and pasta do cook, but they take longer and stay hard in the middle if you rush them. Thin air also dulls taste: in a test for Lufthansa in a pressurized cabin, salty and sweet tastes came across about 30 percent weaker, while savoury (umami) tastes held up.
What cooks well at each height
| Food | Base camps (4,000 to 5,400 m13,123 to 17,717 ft) | High camps (5,500 m18,045 ft and above) |
|---|---|---|
| Instant noodles | Easy | Easy |
| Couscous | Soak five minutes | Soak five minutes |
| Instant mashed potato | Easy | Easy |
| Quick or instant oats | Easy | Instant oats best |
| White rice | Slow, with a lid | Use instant rice |
| Pasta | Thin pasta, with a lid | Thin noodles only |
| Dried beans and lentils | Pressure cooker only | Leave at home |
| Freeze-dried meals | As on the packet | Allow extra standing time |
How do I make it taste good?
More salt than feels right: stock cubes, soy sauce, salted butter.
Savoury flavours that survive thin air: parmesan, dried mushrooms, tomato paste, miso.
Strong spices: chilli, curry powder, garlic powder.
Fat for calories: olive oil, cheese, salami, nut butter.
Bring food you really like. Taste and appetite change on the mountain, and a meal you want to eat beats a balanced one you have to force down. The Everest guide has more on eating well on a long expedition.
Are freeze-dried meals worth the money?
At the high camps, yes. They are cooked before they are dried, so they only need hot water, and they are light. In November 2026 a pouch cost about $8 to $16 in US shops. Most climbers use supermarket food lower down (instant mash, couscous, noodles, tuna pouches, cheese) and keep the pouches for high camps, summit days and storms.
What should I drink?
The US National Park Service tells Denali climbers to drink at least four litres of fluid a day. Soup, miso, sweet tea, hot chocolate and drinks with electrolyte powder all count, and they help, because snow water tastes flat and carries no salt. Black tea is weak in water at 83°C181°F, so steep it longer; green tea, herbal tea and instant coffee are fine.
A simple high-camp menu
Breakfast: instant oats with powdered milk, sugar and nut butter, and a hot drink. During the day: soup, electrolytes, crackers, cheese and salami. Dinner: a cup of soup, then a freeze-dried meal or couscous with butter, a stock cube, parmesan and a tuna pouch, and sweet tea before bed.