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Altitude 28-Jan-2005 At 8:59:55 PM cheesehead

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I know they don't last above the snowline (shrivel up instandly when you take your gaiters off and expose them to the cold).

Read Marc Twight's 'Extreme Alpinism'. You don't have to like Twight, but I think his dedication commands respect. He talks ALOT about the various drugs, what they do, why, etc.
I've done a bit of research on circulation to extremities (uber cold hands being my malady). I've found his reports on garlic, for example to be flawed - medically speaking. That said, Reinhold Messner is convinced that Garlic helped his fingers continue to work at a zillion feet above the hard-deck.
That's different to some of the altitude stuff we've talked about, but it highlights the issue that humans operating in extreme conditions is a relatively uncharted region of biology. Most of the 'research' is still hearsay from climbers and dudes who've charted their own reactions rather than conducted (extremely difficult) controlled trials.

Any fellas out there who are medically competent to comment on this thread?