[The functional prognosis of physical working ability under conditions of extreme high altitude]

The physical performance of climbers, those making high-altitude ascensions up to 8000 m, without additional oxygen was measured. Some functional criteria of the organism adaptation to exhausting physical loading at the high altitudes were selected. It was established that the forecasting of a successful ascension could be improved if the potential maximal oxygen uptake was added to the standard definition parameters of aerobic metabolism such as the maximal oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold of oxygen uptake. The potential maximal oxygen uptake is considered to be the parameter of maximal oxygen uptake reserve growing in condition of realization of adaptive reaction to hypoxia.