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Interview with Everest Summit O2 tester
13:40 p.m. EST Mar 26, 2004
What do bio-engineering and mountain climbing have in common? Mathias Baumann, a Swiss bio-engineer and Himalayan mountain enthusiast! Mathias will be testing the new Summit oxygen system on Everest, which has been said to be better than the Russian system: Lighter, no masks needed and one 3 liter bottle lasts for 23 hours. Yet the system still needs more evaluation and Mathias is one of the test pilots.
ExWeb got a brief interview with Mathias before he heads out to Kathmandu next week.
ExWeb: You will be using the Summit Oxygen system on Everest; from a medical standpoint would you briefly describe the benefits and disadvantages of this system?
Mathias: Yes, we will use summit oxygen, due to security and medical reasons. It is proven from various medical sources, that when using oxygen on this altitude, the body is more stable against coldness and most of all, the brain keeps working more or less normally. In case of critical situations (as we had 2 years back [on Everest] above 8300m, when the weather started to change in spite of good forecasts), logical decisions can be taken, rather than following emotions too much.
ExWeb: We feel it’s very valuable to the climbing community to have a bio engineer test the system. As a bio engineer, what will your evaluation bring to the table?
Mathias: There are several tasks I want to follow and analyze, based on a technical specification list. Most of all the system must work reliably on any altitude level of the mountain and must be easy to handle, also for non technical experts. Secondly it must be safe for mishandling and mechanical shocks. A third problem that kind of oxygen system always has is the dryness of oxygen in the bottles, that can cause coughing and uneasiness for many climbers. Due to the open construction of the breathing device, though, the bottled oxygen will be mixed with outside air. I will test whether this kind of technique can reduce that problem.
ExWeb: What route will you be taking, will there be any variations?
Mathias: We will take the route from Tibet (Rombuk) via North-Col (Camp 1 on 7090m), proceed to Camp 2 on 7800m by following the ridge and establish Camp 3 on around 8300m, below the 3 steps.
We will all follow the overland-way via Godhari and Tingri to the BC on the north side of the mountain. Since we are all very stable at high altitude and have known each other for many years now, we will not establish an intermediate camp at 5800m, but will walk up to ABC at 6500m directly, where we will stay. Our expedition is small, but we are well equipped and therefore flexible, hopefully also fast on the mountain. We carry a sophisticated mobile solar system with us, which provides a 220V current, in order to use less gas/fuel as possible.
ExWeb: We would like to know more about the medical work you are doing in Nepal, including the recent contract with the hospital in Lukla! We really appreciate how you are supporting the culture and people in Nepal.
Mathias: I got involved in social activities in Nepal about 18 years back, when I realized that sending money for social projects is not enough and since I have been a hospital planner for 28 years I thought that health care support would be a valuable, long term activity for me. One more reason to run a local BIO medical engineering office in Kathmandu is also the fact that I help children in need by offering support in school and healthcare. Some of them are adults now and have a good education, so by opening a company we have created more jobs directly in Nepal which might keep young adults from leaving to western countries to find jobs.
The project in Lukla started last January, when I met Nicole Niquille in Kathmandu, the main sponsor of the hospital. She's the first female Swiss mountain guide. The construction is almost finished, so we started at evaluating the proper medical equipment and support in-room layouts and technical installations. The reason Lukla had been chosen for that hospital by Nicole is also a relation to late Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, who climbed Everest as the first Nepali women in 1993.
Mathias and the Sherpas; Karma, Nima, Santa, Sangge and Devendra, will tackle Everest in late April. This team is tight knit and functions like a family. Together they have done Amadablam, Shishapangma, and Everest (2002). Mathias will be testing the Summit Oxygen system. He has also opened a branch office of his bio-medical company in Kathmandu.
Image of Everest, Lhotse, Mathias and the Summit Oxygen system courtesy of Mathias Baumann and Summit Oxygen.
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