Everest Erection Myth Contradicts Studies

While climbing Mount Everest in the Himalayas, a 26-year-old man named Srinath Varma reported that he began experiencing erections at around 4,500 meters. Varma said they lasted about two hours per day and that he drank water, stayed warm, and kept moving to manage them. However, the claim that pressure changes make this a common effect is not scientifically supported. Studies of climbers instead found that high-altitude hypoxia progressively reduced erection rigidity above 4,450 meters, with normal function returning after descent.

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