Extreme Everest

On a more cheerful note, my attention was drawn to Extreme Everest. This is an expedition which will attempt an ascent of Mount Everest in the spring of 2007. It isn't just any old Everest climb - I copy from the website:

Xtreme Everest is a research project coordinated by the UCL Centre for Aviation, Space and Extreme (CASE) environment medicine - doctors and scientists studying human systems stretched to breaking point in extreme environments to increase our understanding of critically ill patients.

The goal is to place a research team on the summit of Mount Everest in 2007 and make the first ever measurement of the level of oxygen in human blood at this altitude.

This is the centrepiece of an extensive programme of research into hypoxia (low oxygen levels) and human performance at extreme altitude aimed at improving the care of the critically ill and other patients where hypoxia is a fundamental problem.

You can follow the progress of their expedition on this blog, which is hosted by the BBC. They have just returned from an initial, pathfinding expedition in which the summit was reached from Tibet. I'd recommend this for keeping an eye on, particularly next spring.