PS having crossed with your earlier post I am not sure the Alps are a place to be for unintentionally entering IMC or concerning yourself about MSAs in case you do and while you are sorting yourself out. It really is a recipe for disaster.
I know it is often said but unless you are instrument capable avoid IMC crossing the ALPs at all cost.
As I said earlier on the "right" days the visibility is amazing and you can literally see whether or not your route is clear the whole way across.
I appreciate the weather can change even contrary to the forecasts and I also fully appreciate you just could find yourself with few alternatives even though that should be highly unlikely. By all means have the ability to get above the weather but use that ability as an absolute last resort unless you can be assured of a visual climb and it really is the only way of completing the trip. Crossings North to South seem to be most likely to encounter weather at the southern end that is worse than forecast but if you have ended up VMC on top the southern side of the alps is no place to be descending in IMC without instrument currency, not least because it can often become clagged in to low levels.
My interpretation of oxygen is the same as PeterH's - I dont see how this can be interpreted as a recommendation.
Last edited by Fuji Abound; 27th August 2012 at 19:27.