When the air gets thin
By Sabine Reber
Whether you’re walking, hiking, or ski touring—with diagonal breathing exercises and the right tension, every step becomes just a little bit easier.
I first really noticed it while ski touring. It was in May 2025, on the way to the Dufourspitze. I was out with my friends* from the Oldenhorn SAC. From the Monte Rosa Hut up to Switzerland’s highest peak, you have to climb 1,751 meters in elevation and cover an enormous distance across the Monte Rosa Glacier.
We were all in good shape. Nevertheless, the climb began to get challenging at around 3,800 meters above sea level *.
We could feel the air getting thinner. At this altitude, you pant like a hippopotamus—but it doesn’t help. People were furtively pulling out their Coramin packets* everywhere; some reached for protein bars or glucose tablets—whatever was on hand—to boost their energy reserves.
By the time I had already licked two Täfeli* and the air was still getting thinner, I came up with the idea of diagonal breathing.
During training, this always helped me find new energy when I was actually already tired. So, as I pushed my left ski forward, I tried to breathe from my left heel to the crook of my right elbow.
As I did this, I rotated my right shoulder socket slightly forward and upward, straightened up a little against the pressure of the padded backpack strap, and at the same time engaged my longitudinal ligaments.
I breathed from my right heel to the top of my left upper arm, and also aligned my left shoulder socket slightly more toward the front and up. Then I breathed from my left knee to my right middle finger, and from my right knee to my left middle finger.
I worked my way diagonally across my body. With each breath—which grew increasingly labored in the thin air—I traced another diagonal line.
That kept my mind occupied and distracted me from the heaviness that was slowly settling in my legs. It helped me focus my energy: take a step forward with my left foot, take a step forward with my right foot, breathe, breathe—and in doing so, slowly but steadily gain elevation.
I went through all the diagonal movements I knew from CANTIENICA® training as we huffed and puffed our way toward the 4,000 mark.
The road ahead was still long. I breathed golden light into my tired muscles. And then I began to invent new diagonals, breath by breath, from my left earlobe to my right eyebrow, from the base joint of my right little toe to my left nostril. From the right kneecap behind the left eyeball. From the right big toe joint to the left nostril. From the right kneecap behind the left eyeball.
The scarcer the oxygen became, the more subtle the diagonal lines that came to mind. The main thing was that they always ran from bottom to top. Toward an upright position. From bottom to top, from bottom to top. Lifting the weight off the ground.
Now I murmured the principles of the method to myself.
Everything I had learned became a mantra for me.
And so I just kept running. In my mind, I visualized golden lines flowing through my body. Eventually, we reached the saddle at 4359 MüM*. We left our skis there and continued on with crampons to the base of the west ridge, where the actual ridge climb began.
Since I’m not very experienced at climbing, I missed out on playing with the diagonals there. I had to concentrate too much on my hands and feet.
Once we reached the summit cross at the top, all our exhaustion melted away. We were filled with pure joy that we had made it.
The way back, on the other hand, was a real challenge. I was truly out of energy by then, and even my creative diagonal moves didn’t leave much in reserve. Still, it was enough to make it back down the mountain safely.
After that experience, I got into the habit of breathing across my body with every step while hiking or ski touring, thereby activating the longitudinal ligaments.
It’s a new way of walking. The brilliant thing about it is that this trick actually unleashes new energy. You find a few more steps, a little more reserve, a little more motivation—and sometimes exactly what you need to reach your goal.
Helvetic Translation Service
For our readers north of the Rhine:
Gspänli* = companions. People you choose to climb mountains with.
Coraminpäckli* = A Swiss quick fix for low oxygen levels and heavy legs.
Täfeli* = small lollipops.
MüM* = meters above sea level. A very common unit of elevation in Switzerland.
Sabine Reber, born in Bern in 1970 and raised in Biel, worked as an editor, reporter, and writer for various Swiss newspapers before becoming a freelance writer in 1997. Since then, she has published poetry collections, short stories, travel books, and gardening books, and has won international awards. As editor-in-chief of *Drogistenstern*, she particularly enjoys writing about medicinal herbs.
In her column “Körperwärts,” she ventures into new territory: Instead of plants, she explores the psoas, pelvic floor, and shoulder blades—with the same curiosity and enthusiasm that have driven her to gardening for decades.
