This is real life above 8,000 feet – made simple, useful, and slightly sarcastic. The air is thin, winters are long and the “essentials” the internet recommends wouldn’t last five minutes.
What works. What doesn’t. Straight talk for high – altitude living.
About
Hi I’m Alicia. Welcome to Mountain Practical.
I live above 8,000 feet where: winter can show up in July, stay until May, and judges your life choices, gardening is 80% hope and 20% frostbite, deer eat every “deer resistant” plant on the market like it’s a tasting menu, baking is a science experiment, tarps rip in the first windstorm no matter how “heavy duty” the label claims, and owning gloves in every temperature rating is a personality trait.
After years of learning high-altitude life the hard (and occasionally hilarious) way, I started Mountain Practical to share the kind of straightforward, lived-in advice you only get from actually surviving this terrain.
I focus on practical solutions, honest recommendations, and a dry humor that comes from accepting that altitude has zero interest in your plans.
If you’re here for curated cabin-core…this probably isn’t it. If you want real mountain-life tips that actually help you live, garden, prep, and stay sane above 8,000 feet, welcome home.
What You’ll Find Here
High-Altitude How-To’s – Simple, practical guides for cooking, gardening, winter prep, and living a nomal-ish life at 8,000 feet.
Gear That Actually Works Up Here – Tested, reviewed and chosen based on real mountain conditions – not “I saw this on TikTok.”
Seasonal Tips & Straight Talk – Freeze warnings, mud-season survival, garden timelines, and other things you only learn from messing them up once…or twice
Real-Life Mountain Living – Hydration realities, skin that cracks, boots that grip, tarps that don’t rip (hopefully), and the kind of advice you won’t find in cabin-core hashtags.
Coming Soon
Mountain Practical Guides
- Real Winter Prep (not the aesthetic version)
- Mountain survival garden calendars
- Helpful gear lists for everyday life above 8,000 feet
- “Things no one tells you about living at high altitude”
More practical, mildly sarcastic mountain-living resources are on the way.
Affiliate Disclosure
A quick, honest heads – up.
Some pages contain affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
But, here’s the deal: I only recommend things I’ve used, tested, abused, or would confidently bet on at 8,000+ feet. No “must haves.” No “game changers.” Just things that won’t disappoint you the first time the temperature drops below 0.