Previous Courses
High Altitude Mountain Medicine - Chamonix, France — July 8 - July 14, 2007Chamonix is world-famous for its scenery and extreme ruggedness, yet with so many accessible venues in a true, one of a kind alpine setting and rich culture!
Tuesday, July 10
8:00 am Complications of Altitude Illness: HAPE, HACE, and HAFE – Wachter
9:00 am High Altitude Medication: Fact or Friction? (McLaughlin)
9:50 am Break
10:00 am The Big Chill: Frostbite and Hypothermia (Macias, Quinn)
11:20 pm Leave for Montenvers/Mer de Glace Lunch (to bring on own)
12:00 pm Trauma for Mountaineers and Improvisation (Quinn and faculty - adjourn 3:00 pm)
3:00 pm Mer De Glace Glacier Excursion (optional)
7:00 pm Pizza and a Talk:: Leadership and Case Studies in Injury Prevention in Mountaineering (Rimple and Sklar - adjourn 8:30 pm)
Wednesday, July 11
8:00 am Got a Light? Understanding and Preventing Lightning Induced Injury in the Mountains (Alcock)
9:00 am Nutrition and Hypoxia: How We Starve in the Mountains (Molzen)
9:30 am Running Hot: Dehydration and Hyperthermia in the Mountains (McLaughlin)
10:10 am Break
10:20 am SCUBA Diving and Flying at High Altitude: You’re Kidding, Right? (Macias)
11:00 am To Aiguille du Midi for Research and Mountain Telemedicine: Tour of the National School of Ski and Alpinism and the IFREMMONT Mountain Clinic. Note: this venue is at a 12,800 foot (3800 meter) elevation (adjourn 12:10 pm)
12:10 pm Lunch
1:00 pm Mountain Travel 1: Avalanche Awareness, Terrain Evaluation and Orienteering in the Mountains (faculty)
Thursday, July 12
9:00 am Sherpas, Miners, and Chronic Mountain Sickness (Rimple)
9:40 am Best Articles in Mountain Medicine 2007
Sunday, July 8
Afternoon Chamonix Tour/Hike (optional)
7:00 pm Welcome Reception at Mercure Chamonix
Monday, July 9
9:00 am Introduction and History of High Altitude Medicine (Macias)
9:40 am Mountain and Wilderness Medicine: A Broader Perspective (Alcock)
10:20 am Break
10:30 am Mountain Sports: The Profile of High Altitude Participants (Rimple)
11:00 am How We Acclimatize In The Mountains (Wachter)
11:30 am Acute Mountain Sickness (Macias)
12:30 pm Lunch (on own)
1:30 pm Physical Preparation for a High Altitude Trip (Rimple)
2:10 pm Medical Consultations for Trips in Hypoxic Environments (Macias)
3:00 pm Sports Medicine at Les Gaillands: Doing A Good Musculoskeletal Exam in Diagnosing Common Sports Injuries (Quinn - adjourn 4:00 pm)
4:00 pm Optional Rope Safety and Rock Climbing Session at Les Gaillands (Chamonix)
Who knows? Tonight we might eat a typical savoyard meal including fondue, raclette, washed down with a nice bottle of Gigondas!
Course Schedule
Faculty Panel
10:40 am Mountain Travel 2 – Practical
Scenarios – Faculty
2:00 pm Final Exam and Course Evaluation
3:00 pm Adjourn/End of Course (optional
preparation for Mont Blanc ascension)
Friday, July 13
8:00 am Train to Nid d’Aigle, approach to
Tete Rousse Refuge or Gouter Refuge
Saturday, July 14
1:00 am Rise for ascent to Mont Blanc
7:00 am Descend Mont Blanc11:00 am Arrive Gouter Refuge. At this
point, we will regroup for lunch and a
debriefing of the climbing experience, and
will descend to catch the train to Nid
d’Aigle for the hour ride to St. Gervais
(time to walk from Gouter Refuge to Nid