SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ski-altitude-hace-signs

Confusion and trouble walking straight at altitude may signal what?

HACE, swelling of the brain.

Start playing free

  1. HACE, swelling of the brain ✔
  2. Normal tiredness
  3. Snow glare

Why: HACE brings confusion, drowsiness and loss of balance. This is an emergency that calls for descent and help, not a nap.

Huh, didn't know that: CDC notes HACE can progress to coma within 24 hours of onset.

The dad joke
Why did the girl keep her trumpet out in the snow? She liked playing cool jazz.
Like this card?
Play the game

References

Answer: HACE, swelling of the brain. HACE brings confusion, drowsiness and loss of balance. This is an emergency that calls for descent and help, not a nap.

  1. CDC Yellow Book: High-altitude travel and altitude illness www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/environmental-hazards-risks/high-altitude-travel-and-altitude-illness.html
    HACE presents with neurological findings, particularly altered mental status, ataxia, confusion, and drowsiness.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

Think this answer is wrong? Tap "Challenge this answer" on the card in the game and tell us why.

Test yourself in the game

Outdoors & CampingIf fluid in the lungs (HAPE) is suspected at altitude, what is most important?Outdoors & CampingHypothermia means your core body temperature drops below what?Outdoors & CampingWhich is a warning sign of hypothermia in an adult?

That's stuff everyone should know.