Toggle between variants · carry both on the day
Pure Fat Mush
For the lower mountain — cycling approach, trekking to Barafu. No carbohydrate. Your gut knows exactly what to do with this.
Dedicated hydration and fast-fuel flask for the upper mountain. Sip continuously above 4,500m rather than drinking in boluses. Begin with the weakest concentration and increase only if gut is settled.
Honey Salt Water
Minimal gut-load, maximum absorbability. Pre-inverted sugars, sodium co-transport, low osmotic stress. Essentially a natural ORS with altitude-targeted fuel.
Pure Fat Mush flask. Small squeezes every 30–45 min. Gut is in known territory. Keep HR below 136 bpm. No honey water needed here.
Continue Pure Fat Mush. Begin sipping Honey Salt Water at weak concentration to trial gut response before altitude increases. Crew handoff at Barafu — warm bone broth, reassess.
Switch to Honey Bridge Mush if trials successful. Honey Salt Water sipped continuously. Fat oxidation is oxygen-expensive here — small carbohydrate input earns its place. Descend back to Barafu, refuel with crew.
Return to Pure Fat Mush. Remaining Honey Salt Water for hydration. Salt intake critical on brakes descent — watch for hand cramping as a sodium signal.
Prepare warm bone broth or meat stock with 1 tsp coconut cream and a generous pinch of salt. This is the most important crew item. Have it ready in a wide-mouth flask, hot, at the Barafu resupply point both on ascent and descent. It is fuel, warmth, electrolytes, and morale in one.