WMT's 12 annual Expedition Medicine winter course

Monday to Friday, 24-28 January 2011

For Doctors, Nurses & Medical Students

Chamonix, Mont Blanc, France

Prices after 1st October - £475 (£350 nurses & medical students)

EARLY BIRD BOOKINGS & SPECIAL PRICES - £425 (£325 for nurses & medical students) if booked by 1st October (must be paid for at the time of booking). Places are limited to first come first served and we reserve the right to withdraw this special price at any time without notice.

TO BOOK: Go to the online BOOKING FORM.

This page is revised as details are confirmed. Last revised: 27 July 2010

This page is packed with important info including; the programme, faculty, frequently asked questions, travel and accommodation advice - scroll down and enjoy!

Introduction

WMT events are incredibly well organised, well thought out and professionally delivered by a world class faculty who are experienced, fun and approachable! WMT’s two directors alone have a combined total of 50 major expeditions to their credit. We constantly innovate to refresh our events. Chamonix is a legendary, easily accessible town that is an awesome playground for out of class hours, including fabulous optional mountain sports activities and instruction offered by WMT. More than 50% of WMT course delegates attend by word of mouth.

EXPEDITION MEDICINE - PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

(*an apres ski or after dinner meeting point is designated from Sunday to Friday)

Monday – Managing Injuries in the Field

1430 Registration

1500 – 1930

• Course kick off - welcome & introductions
• The exciting world of expedition medicine - course overview
• Venomous bites, stings & rabies
• Trauma management: head injuries, fractures & dislocations
• Immunisations & anti-malarials/field test kits – answering the awkward questions

Complimentary drinks & nibbles every evening

1830 - 1930 Key Note Address: TBC - in 2010 Dr Manu Cauchy, world renowned frostbite expert, Chamonix resident and author of Hanging by a Thread; My toughest missions as a helicopter rescue doctor gave the key note address.

Tuesday – Planning & Pre-Expedition Considerations

1500– 1930

• Travellers with special needs - practical exercise
• Incident management - more than just medicine – practical exercise
• Don’t get sued - legal liability and insurance
• Choosing a medical kit – practical exercise
• Expedition dentistry & maxillofacial injuries
• Special guest lecture

Wednesday - Medicine in the Outdoor Environment

AM or PM - a half day of outdoor practical sessions

• Scenario-based problem solving exercises including:
• Use of radios
• Vehicle extrication & scene safety
• Trauma management
• Practical fracture management
• Safety on steep terrain – some practical rope tricks

Thursday – Mountain Medicine

1500 - 1930

• Altitude illness – theory & practice
• Avalanche risk assessment & rescue
• The eye at altitude & other eye problems
• Hypothermia & cold injuries
• Special evening lecture

Friday - Hot, Deep & Dangerous Environments

1500 – 1900

• Getting hot & cross - hyperthermia & dehydration
• Diving medicine – an overview
• Special lecture - tbc
• Expedition psychology – leadership & teamwork
• Joining an expedition – being the right stuff - what next?
• Final special lecture

End of course optional dinner

Note: This programme is provisional and the running order of sessions may be subject to change due to the availability of instructors, weather and other factors.

FACULTY

We are getting another fantastic team lined up for the 2011 winter Chamonix course. All are tried and test and have contributed to many of WMT's courses for explorers and medics in the UK, Morocco and Chamonix. They all have fantastic expedition and travel track records.

Dr Jon Dallimore, WMT Medical Director - course director
MSc, MRCGP, MCEM, DCH, DRCOG, Dip Mount Med, FFTM RCPS (Glasg)                

Jon is a GP and staff doctor in the Emergency Department of Bristol Royal Infirmary. Jon's expedition experience started twenty years ago and since then he has spent more than two years living and working in the field as a doctor and/or leader. He has worked in the deserts of Namibia, Sinai and Northern Kenya; the jungles of Sulawesi, Belize, Thailand and Ecuador; and high altitude climbs and treks to Nepal, Greenland, Pakistan, Iceland, Morocco, East Africa and the Andes.  Jon is an international Mountain Leader, a member of the Alpine Club and a member of faculty on the UIAA Diploma in Mountain Medicine. Jon is medical consultant to five British expedition companies and advises medical students at the University of Bristol on their overseas electives. He is a co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine (published September 2008). CONFIRMED FOR 2011.

Barry Roberts BSc BEd, WMT Commercial Director - course manager

Barry is a professional expedition leader who has maintained a long-standing interest in wilderness medicine since ski patrolling in Canada in his late teens. Barry has 24 diverse international expeditions to his credit, mainly to the mountains. He is an advanced diver, paraglider pilot, skydiver, a climber, qualified Day Skipper, a ski instructor and ski mountaineer. He is formerly a Director of Raleigh International. He is the co-author of www.stayingaliveoffpiste.com and a contributing author to the OUP expedition medicine handbook. In addition to his WMT commitments, Barry is a specialist in corporate leadership and team development and he runs Corporate Interventions Ltd. From ’04 to ’08 he was sponsored by The North Face and he has lectured widely to corporate and public audiences about his expedition life.

Expedition highlights include reaching the summit of Mount Everest in May 2004 and in 2006 leading the first winter ascent of the highest mountain in the Arctic (Gunnsbjornsfjeld in Greenland) from which he paraglided off (solo). That expedition nearly ended in tragedy after a polar bear attack but despite this he was recently back in Greenland in April ’09 and '10. Barry is a Fellow of the RGS and a Member of the Alpine Club. CONFIRMED FOR 2011

See below for more provisional faculty

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the course held?
The course is held at the Salle du Bicentenaire (attached to the Musee Alpin) in central Chamonix, near the train station. Accommodation is NOT available at the venue. It's best to organise accommodation in town, not in the outlying villages (night buses are infrequent!).

Who attends the course?
This course is designed for any medical professional interested in expedition and travel medicine regardless of their level of experience. It attracts a great mix of doctors from those recently qualified to consultants in varied specialties. Increasingly nurses are attending. We also welcome medical students, paramedics, physios and other health professionals. Some people have little or no expedition experience and some are very experienced. Many people come alone and make new friends to ski and go out with. Others have come in big gangs of medical schoolmates!

How easy is it to get to Chamonix?
Very easy! During the winter many low-cost airlines fly from numerous UK airports directly to Geneva. The course is timed so that those on a tight budget can fly in Monday morning and home Saturday am to take advantage of the most inexpensive fares. January is still low season in the Alps so the prices of flights and hotels are relatively much lower. Chamonix is 60 miles from Geneva and it costs about £50 for a shared return transfer. Groups will find it cheaper to hire a car for the week.

What about organising accommodation?
See below for hostel/hotel and travel advice. We circulate the email addresses of delegates to each other to facilitate organising accommodation together. See our new gite/hostel deal at the Gite le Vagabond

What if I'm not a great skier/boarder or don’t ski at all!
Don't worry! Chamonix has a full range of slopes to accommodate the beginner and the expert. If you don't ski at all, there's plenty to do otherwise – snow shoeing, swimming, shopping, climbing, etc.

How do I book a place to come?
That's easy! Go to the online BOOKING FORM.

Optional Activity– quick reference guide
TBC This optional sessions continue to be overwhelmingly successful and oversubscribed. All activities are open to delegates and their friends. Let WMT do the organising so that you get the most out of your free time to explore the valley and acquire new skills! Further details and costs will be provided nearer the time. All extra sessions are run subject to minimum numbers, additional cost and separate terms and conditions. Registrations taken on the first day of the course.

Travel & Accommodation Notes

Hostel half board deal - new in 2010! Half board 44.80 euros/night (about £38 at 1£= 1.16 euro). 2011 prices tbc - the prices below are for guidance only

We have reached an agreement with the town centre Gite le Vagabond to hold the entire hostel for WMT delegates during the course week from Sunday to Saturday. There's a 4 night minimum stay and the bed, breakfast and dinner rate is just 44.80 euros per night. Bookings open up 1st September. There are 34 beds in total; 28 are in shared bunk rooms; there's also a double room ensuite for 127.80 euros/night and the Brevent room with 4 single rooms and more living space - 203.60 per night between 4. The Gite ONLY offers half board in the winter. Gite Bunkhouse LeVagabond tel. 00 33 4 50 53 15 43 between 8-10.30am and after 4.30pm (French time!) www.gitevagabond.com. Bookings only by phone - 50% deposit required.

Best websites to start with: we can never improve on the information on numerous websites especially www.chamonix.com which is a fantastic for LOCAL info like pictures, webcams, accommodation options and more. Better for info about getting to Geneva and Chamonix, flight options from anywhere in the world, airport transfers and more, visit www.chamonix.net.

General advice
We suggest you fly into Geneva, Switzerland. The French border is about 10km from the airport. Trains and buses time-consuming ways of travelling between the airport and Chamonix and not recommended.

Visas
Depending on what passport you hold you should make sure you do not require a visa for Switzerland and/or France. If you require a Swiss visa you can exit the airport from the French sector to avoid having to get one.

Geneva Car Hire
Although the bus service around the Chamonix valley is good, a car can be very handy for maximising your time on the slopes. Bear in mind too that a return minibus transfer from the airport is £50+ that could be put towards car hire. It is 100km from the airport to Chamonix and about £8 return for motorway tolls. The ski station car parks are generally at low altitudes so driving to the slopes isn’t too scary. Best to rent chains with your car just in case. From the UK, you might try:

www.auto-europe.co.uk

www.holidayautos.co.uk

Some scheduled Flights to Geneva (from the UK)

• Easyjet www.easyjet.com
• BMI Baby www.bmibaby.com
• Jet2 www.jet2.com British Airways www.ba.com
• Swiss Air www.swiss.com
• Thomsonfly www.thomson.co.uk/flights
• use www.skyscanner.net to search for you!

Allow 1½ hours to get to Chamonix by transfer minibus.

Visit this link for Chamonix – Geneva Airport Transfers – about £25-£30 each way for door to door mini-bus services, depending on number of passengers and time of booking. We like Mountain Dropoffs and ChamExpress.

Accommodation

People's tastes and budgets will differ and there are options in Chamonix to suit everyone. We'll put all delegates in touch with each other so if you're coming alone, you can probaby find a group to share an apartment or chalet with. It's easy to organise a visit to Chamonix and piece together the transfers and accommodation individually (self-catered or catered) - or simply book an all inclusive chalet or hotel package. We suggest it's best to start by visiting www.chamonix.com for lists of hotels, B&Bs, hostels, apartment and chalets. Hotels are listed by star rating. Not all service providers will be listed on this website so it might pay to surf as well.

Ask where the your accommodation is in relation to the Musee Alpin which is in the town centre! Accommodation is not available at the course venue. Beware of properties advertised as being in Chamonix when in fact they are in the "Chamonix Valley" and in one of the outlying villages like Les Houches, Servoz, Taconnaz, Les Praz or Argentiere for example. If you want to enjoy the nightlife, then you really need to be in Chamonix town. Late night buses are infrequent or non-existent and taxis are very expensive.

For details of a WMT recommended chalet, click here.

Gite – Bunkhouse Le Vagabond – shared rooms – tel. 00 33 4 50 53 15 43 between 8-10.30am and after 4.30pm www.gitevagabond.com - see the special WMT deal above

Private Apartment Hire
Groups might consider hiring a self-catering apartment for the week.

www.holiday-rentals.co.uk www.alpinebeds.com www.myfrenchchalet.com

WMT cannot be responsible for any of the services or prices listed which are given in good faith as a guide only.

Faculty

Here's who contributed in 2010. We hope most, if not all of them will be back in 2011!

Dr Manu Cauchy: key note speaker and frostbite lecturer

Dr Nick Mason
MB ChB FRCA
Nick is also a photographer and mountaineer based in Cardiff, UK. In addition to being a consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, Nick has spent over a decade researching the effects of the lack of oxygen at high altitude on the human body. This work has taken him to the mountains of Nepal, Central Asia, North America and the French Alps. Nick is a member of faculty of the UK Diploma in Mountain Medicine and regularly teaches high altitude physiology and medicine on the diploma. He is a representative for the International Porter Protection Group (IPPG) that works to improve the well being of mountain porters throughout the world, and has twice worked at the IPPG rescue post at Machermo in the Gokyo Valley of Nepal.
 
As long has he has been going into the mountains Nick has taken a camera with him but in recent years landscape and travel photography have become a passion in their own right. The quality of Nick’s work has recently been recognised by his appointment as one of Olympus Camera’s Top Photographers. Visit www.summitphotographs.com.  

James Moore
RN BSc (Hons) Dip TN Dip TM (A)MFTM FRGS
James is a Matron/Emergency Nurse Practitioner. He is an APLS & ALS instructor. He has worked as an expedition medic in locations such as Borneo, the Sinai, North and Central Africa and South America. In addition to this he was part of a small relief operation in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami Disaster in 2004 and more recently provided medical cover for the BBC's Extreme Dreams Expedition, filmed in Papua New Guinea with Ben Fogle. He has qualifications in Tropical and Travel Medicine and consults for several expedition companies. James is a contributor to Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine and an Associate Member of the Faculty of Travel Medicine. James is WMT's most active associate and in '08 alone he has delivered private programmes for Hull and Leicester Universities, Cicada Films and the BBC Frozen Planet team as well as helping WMT deliver our summer Chamonix medics’ conference and annual Morocco Mountain Medicine Expedition. James is equally comfortable in the mountains as he is in a jungle hammock. He is now stepping back from hospital work to develop a new business, Travel Health Consultancy. He provided medical support for actress Joanna Lumley's African adventures for tv last autumn.

Dr Patrick Morgan
BSc Bio Med, MB ChB, Dip IMC (RCS Ed), FRGS
Paddy is an anaesthetic registrar in Bristol. He has undertaken expeditions to Africa (north, west and east) and Europe and medical support expeditions to Europe and South America.  He is medical advisor to the "Bristol (children’s) English Channel Swim" project, "Virgin Global Row" expedition and is Honorary Medical Advisor to Surf Lifesaving GB. Paddy serves on the International Lifesaving Society (ILS) Medical committee and the Drowning Research Commission and has co-authored international position statements on cold water immersion and shallow water blackout. He is a Swift-water Rescue Technician and Mountain Rescue Doctor with Avon & Somerset Search & Rescue team. Paddy is a Motor Sport Association Approved Doctor and instructs on numerous life support courses including the Mountain Rescue Council Casualty Care course, Surf Rescue/ Lifeguarding courses, ALS and Motor Sport trauma course. He is a contributing author to the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine, is studying towards the Diploma in Mountain Medicine and is a keen climber, skier, diver and surfer.

Dr. Daniel Morris
BSc (Hons) MBChB FRCSEd(Ophth) MFSEM(UK) FRGS
Dan is a Consultant Ophthalmologist in Cardiff having recently returned from a fellowship in British Columbia. He has organised altitude research in Nepal, Bolivia, Tibet and Colorado and collected highest eye data ever at over 7000m on Mt Everest. He started an eye project with the Samburu tribe in Kenya and was awarded the Keeler Scholarship in 2009. Dan is a founder member of the UK Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine and is currently running the Scottish Ocular Trauma Study.

Dr Tariq Qureshi, WMT Senior Instructor MA (Oxon), D Phil, FRGS                     Tariq's enthusiasm for expeditions began during his school days some 20 years ago. Since then he has participated in a range of expeditions, which have primarily been mountaineering in the Arctic. He is currently based at Oxford University where he has regular teaching commitments, both within the medical school and through running a wide range of first aid courses, and is a faculty member for the recently introduced "Acute Life-threatening Events Recognition and Treatment" (ALERT) course. Tariq is the Medical Adviser to Oxford University Expeditions Council and is a contributing author to the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine. He has worked with WMT for over 12 years and was recently appointed a senior instructor and Head of Student Liaison for the company. Tariq is currently working towards the Diploma in Mountain Medicine.