Would you need a sealed building and air pumps?
I ask cuz maniac Avery Brooks did it in Our Man Bashir, of Deep Space Nine.
I ask cuz maniac Avery Brooks did it in Our Man Bashir, of Deep Space Nine.
wikipedia said:Humans have survived for two years at 5,950 m (19,520 ft) [475 millibars of atmospheric pressure], which is the highest recorded permanently tolerable altitude; the highest permanent settlement known, La Rinconada, is at 5,100 m (16,700 ft).[13] At extreme altitudes, above 7,500 m (24,600 ft) [383 millibars of atmospheric pressure], sleeping becomes very difficult, digesting food is near-impossible, and the risk of HAPE or HACE increases greatly.
Symptoms of hypoxia, sometimes known as mountain sickness, include headaches, vomiting, sleeplessness, impaired thinking, and an inability to sustain long periods of physical activity. At elevations above 25,000 feet (7,600 meters), hypoxia can kill.
The Andeans adapted to the thin air by developing an ability to carry more oxygen in each red blood cell. That is: They breathe at the same rate as people who live at sea level, but the Andeans have the ability to deliver oxygen throughout their bodies more effectively than people at sea level do.
"Andeans counter having less oxygen in every breath by having higher hemoglobin concentrations in their blood," Beall said. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that ferries oxygen through the blood system. Having more hemoglobin to carry oxygen through the blood system than people at sea level counterbalances the effects of hypoxia.
In addition, Tibetans may have a second biological adaptation, which expands their blood vessels, allowing them to deliver oxygen throughout their bodies more effectively than sea-level people do.
Tibetans' lungs synthesize larger amounts of a gas called nitric oxide from the air they breathe. "One effect of nitric oxide is to increase the diameter of blood vessels, which suggests that Tibetans may offset low oxygen content in their blood with increased blood flow," Beall said.
Tibetans compensate for low oxygen content much differently. They increase their oxygen intake by taking more breaths per minute than people who live at sea level. "Andeans go the hematological route, Tibetans the respiratory route," Beall said.
Although the last quote seems interesting, Recent research shows that Ethopian highlanders actually do have an increased amount of hemoglobine in comparison to Ethopian people living at lower altitudes.A pilot study Beall conducted of Ethiopian highlanders living at 3,530 meters (11,580 feet) suggests that—unlike the Tibetans— they don't breathe more rapidly than people at sea level and aren't able to more effectively synthesize nitric oxide. Nor do the Ethiopians have higher hemoglobin counts than sea-level people, as the Andeans do.
Yet despite living at elevations wih low oxygen content, "the Ethiopian highlanders were hardly hypoxic at all," Beall said. "I was genuinely surprised."
So what adaptation have the Ethiopian highlanders' bodies evolved to survive at high altitude? "Right now we have no clue how they do it," Beall said.
Go climb mount Everest and tell us how you feel at about 20k
Short answer: yes, and probably yes.
The death zone on Everest is considered to be above camp 4, not that you can't die at lower altitudes. Climbers take quite a while to acclimate to the altitudes, and go up and down, but spend a pretty decent amount of time at camp 3 at 22,000+ feet (usually without the aid of oxygen), and a day at camp 4, which is at 26,000 feet (give or take), so is above where you want to build a house. Usually at camp 4, climbers are on oxygen; I believe it's so they can recover enough to make the final push for the summit. I'm not sure that it's absolutely necessary for the survival of acclimatized climbers (if they're not planning on ascending higher.) We're going to assume you have lots and lots of money, and that Nepal or whichever country is going to allow you to build your house. At the very least, you'd probably want the house pressurized a bit to make it a little more conducive to living.
It'd be easier to do than building a house on Mars or the moon.
I would build the house, and then live in the sub-basement 1000 levels deep where the atmosphere is a bit thicker.
It would suck if there was a fire and I had to take the stairs.
I think several parachutes with cold shielding suits next to the fire extinguishers would be a good idea.
Making a beer run would be a major PITA.