Author: Barry Roberts

In response to high demand (the 2017 Feb and March courses sold out last Sept.) we’ve announced we’ll run two Chamonix-based Mountain Medicine on Skis courses in 2018 between 5-9 February and 5-9 March. Join us!

What a fabulous week! 120 students came from across the UK, Ireland, Australia, Sweden, Finland and elsewhere to join our flagship winter Chamonix course. Fresh snow the week before the course blanketed the Alps and left us with cold weather, blues skies and perfect piste. 9 instructors ranging from ED consultants, helicopter doctors, a BBC medic, globally experienced anaesthetists, an eye surgeon and polar guides delivered a robust, engaging and inspirational programme. The course evaluations are sprinkled repeatedly with the words “amazing, inspirational, knowledgeable, varied, relevant, great and motivating”. One student (CL) wrote “All round brilliant course. Inspirational and career changing”. Thanks to everyone who came and contributed to another successful WMT week. Dates and details for next year are now live – 22-26 January 2018

In our quest to educate and create a forum for shared learning, WMT has launched a new email series of Wilderness Medicine Case Reports starting with Case 1 written by WMT’s Medical Director Dr Harvey Pynn. Fracture management while ski touring in Morocco is worth a read on this web page where you’ll also find guidelines for submitting your own case report. We invite both laypeople and medics to do so.

Well done to our generous Expedition Medicine course students in Chamonix last week who contributed a record 1089 euros to the Samburu Trust raffle we held. See what great work they do here. WMT’s Dan Morris’s final lecture about his surgical eye camps with the Trust really hit home. There’s a spring camp coming up and this money will directly fund:
5 euros = medical trachoma treatment
10 euros = one ngispet (trowel)
20 euros = disposables for one operation
50 euros = month wage for trachoma monitor

Thanks to all our students for their generosity.

Read the January 2017 Newsletter with news of the new Expedition Pre-travel Medical Questionnaire that we’ve made available plus news of upcoming publications and projects.

Collecting personal and medical information from expedition participants in good time is so important that we’ve produce a new questionnaire that is comprehensive and reasonably jargon-free. Use it freely and spread the word. Download it at this new webpage.

Take a peek and tell us what you think! Our aim was to brighten up the website, reduce clutter and refresh the banner pictures. The drop down menu navigation is much improved too. Thanks to friends and alumni who contributed to the stunning bank of images. If you spot any glitches please let us know. Thanks in advance.

Season’s greetings WMT friends and alumni! This year we’ve taken a slightly light-hearted approach to our final Newsletter of the year and offered 10 top tips on how to make the most of 2017 including motivational reading, practical advice on how to save money abroad, reasons why you should treat yourself to new gear fit for purpose and training/coaching/guiding to help you achieve your ambitions and more. Life really is too short not to make the most of it – check out “f**k it DO WHAT YOU LOVE by John Parkin who knows a thing or two about this important subject. Read the full newsletter. Have a great holiday and an awesome 2017.
Best wishes from Team WMT.

Given WMT’s long established partnership with “The Lodge” who host our Advanced Medicine courses, we’re very happy to share news of Glenmore Lodge’s NEW 2-day Women’s Winter Skills and Women’s Introduction to Winter Mountaineering courses being held in Aviemore 11-12 March. Naturally, these courses for women are taught by females instructors. Why women only courses? See the British Mountaineering Council’s page This Girl Can: climb www.thebmc.co.uk and Sport England who are driving female participation in sport. www.sportengland.org

Ben Keen runs The Adventure Element and recently completed Advanced Medicine at Glenmore Lodge. He’s just published this useful blog on expedition safety and what steps his company is taking in this direction. It’s worth a read. www.theadventureelement.co.uk