Cigarettes helpful?

[tomtom]

Smoke em if you've got em.

[johndavidjr]

So, say as a clever training exercise, you've supposedly built up the higher hemoglobin levels via chain smoking for weeks at altitude. Then you smoke little or nothing on heavy climbing days.

 

Carbon monoxide remains in blood for "a while" you say. But oxygen, for example, doesn't seem to hang around very long if you hold your breath. The hemoglobin level is unchanged after 15 minutes, when you asphyxiate. WAH LAA!