At a cellular scale, a lot of things will simultaneously occur to a rock climber. The first being in their respiratory system; since as they climb higher, they enter different levels of our stratosphere (different levels of O2, CO2) which they are not accustomed to. This can make it very hard for them to breathe, which is why a lot of professional climbers will go up there with oxygen masks and emergency supplies so they can prevent lung damage!
I believe the plates are called the south American plates just saying I might be correct or I might be wrong so don't take my word for it I am not the expert
