by CAMERON McPHERSON SMITH
copyright 1996
ALPINE FOODS AND COOKING
Humans need to consume three types of food to survive. Proteins are basically used by the body for cellular maintenance, Carbohydrates for medium- to fast-burning energy and Fats for slow-burning energy. When you plan the food for a climb, consider whether it will be an extended adventure, in which you should take some protein to help maintain your body, or a short-term blast, in which carbohydrates and fats would be better. If you're going above about 10,000', remember that a lot of people experience problems digesting fats at these altitudes, and plan accordingly. Alpine Food and Cooking
I am not a nutritionist, and as far as cooking goes, I have always considered that more than three ingredients is an extravagance. Really, I cannot cook. Still, I can give some suggestions to the fledgling alpinist. Dried seasoned meat is quite good (but heavy) and adds chewy consistency to otherwise rather drab, mushy foods common on alpine climbs. For fats and complex carbohydrates you may be tempted to load up on sweets, such as chocolate. This is nice, but remember that sugar-highs tend to drop off and leave you feeling pretty drained. Balance things out. You can get fats from the chocolate as well, so I wouldn't discount it, just keep it in moderation. The best source of carbohydrates is oatmeal. It is relatively light (though mashed potato flakes are lighter) to carry. You can make a gray pan of oatmeal much more palatable by bringing sugar, jelly, nuts and raisins, but these are luxuries and you may not always want to carry the extra weight beyond a base-camp. Certainly one of the best strategies for climbing cooking is to prepare only foods which require boiled water, and boiled water alone. This is boiled in your main pot, and each person has a personal mug; the water is poured into the mug with the ingredients, rather than dumping them in the pot; this prevents you from having to clean the pot from burned foods etc, a common occurence with some stoves which are either On or Off (e.g. the afterburner-like MSR XGK-II). TO BE COMPLETED
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