Everest Swot Takes Distance Learning To Extremes

Irish Everest summiteer Humphrey Murphy took his distance learning programme to extreme lengths when he lugged his course books and revision notes to the world's highest mountain this spring.

Perhaps fortunately the books were too heavy to carry beyond base camp, but Humphrey took his lecture notes higher up the mountain, apparently reading them as high winds lashed his tiny tent. His studies in at the University of Ulster came in handy as well:

"My course in energy management was in some ways appropriate, as our second home in the makeshift Tibetan tents, relied heavily on solar power and wood/yak dung for light and heat respectively. Solar power was in abundance while wood was precious and yak dung was difficult to manage."

His more cerebral than average approach to mountaineering paid dividends too as he was the only one of his team of four to successfully summit the mountain after a grim ascent during which he came across the bodies of two climbers, one of whom had died only days earlier.

"His body was astride the path to be taken and I literally had to step over him." He says "His rucksack was open beside him; one presumes he was searching through it before he died and his hands were gloveless. I suspect that each passing climber yearned to cover them from the cold."

He also had the presence of mind to remove his oxygen mask for the summit photo, above.

"The obligatory photographs, the relief of the achievement, the simple pleasure of the place. I switched off the oxygen and opened up the down suit, as I have seen too many faceless summit photos and I wanted there to be no doubt but that it was me up there. After some reflection, I took one last look and then focused on a fast, safe descent.

"That evening I had one of the best meals of my life - noodle soup, coke and two Bailey's - my first food in five days. I lived off Complan and hot chocolate on the hill".

Unfortunately the value of Humphrey's high altitude swotting is questionable. A recent study into mental performance at altitude on Everest found that climbers struggled with relatively simple mental tasks. Still, 'shows enthusiasm for his course work, sometimes seems rather distant' ;-)

www.ulster.ac.uk