
When the Stones played Mexico, who did they consult? Peter Hackett of
course... Dr. Peter Hackett isn’t being facetious when he compares
climbing Everest to war. He’s being serious, and in his case almost deadly
serious.
Dr. Hackett was a climber with John West’s 1981 American
Medical Expedition to Everest as both a Doctor and a mountaineer. Hackett is
an emergency physician in Grand Junction, Colorado, and an Affiliate Professor
of Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. His work on mountain
sickness (altitude illness) has been published in over 100 medical journals;
he knows whereof he speaks.
Like a soldier in war a climber on Everest experiences sleep
deprivation, miserable living conditions, anxiety and often mortality. Everest
has its own dangers as well, avalanches, sudden shifts in weather patterns
that bring jet stream winds down the mountain side and especially the
ever-present threats of hypoxia (an absence of oxygen reaching living
tissues), brain swelling, and the hallucinations and death that they can
bring.
In Hackett’s case hypoxia probably
contributed to his near fatal fall down the Hillary Step following his
successful summit of the peak. With nothing to eat or drink for the 13-hour
trek Hackett was exhausted and probably hypoxic from the altitude. He started
down Hillary step only to lose his footing and fall 15 feet and become wedged
in the rocks. He found himself hanging upside down at 8,000 meters above the
South West Face. Fortunately Hackett had secured his ice axe to his pack and
was able to use it to right himself and continue down the step. He met fellow
climber and Doctor Chris Pizzo, who had been waiting for several hours below,
and continued safely to base camp.
Dr. Peter Hackett has been a long time
contributor to EverestNews.com, his article:
Ginkgo biloba reduces incidence and severity of
acute mountain sickness is
here.
And now add consultant to
the Stones to the resume!
EverestSpeakersBureau.com
Marketing and Management Company
Call Todd at 865-525-8008
E-mail
us

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