Blog - Matthew Dieumegard-Thornton

Controversial Big Mountain Acclimatisation Method

Posted on: 07/03/2017 /

Categories: Everest, General, Sports Science, Training

As a trained physiologist specialising in the effects of low oxygen and cold environments, a very recent article published by Bloomberg focusing on a relatively modern technique to dramatically cut down time spent on big mountains piqued my interest: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-01/alpenglow-expeditions-controversial-mountain-climbing-method The hypothesis is simple; pre-acclimatise in an altitude tent/chamber at home, allowing you to partake

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Scotland is Windy

Posted on: 14/07/2015 /

Categories: General, Training

Over the past few months, I have been busy working on a project which is essentially the follow up to my Everest expedition back in 2012. I’ve been making progress in a number of areas, but I wanted to share a story of one area (the leading concept of my project) which has suffered a

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Mental Coping

Posted on: 12/04/2015 /

Categories: Sports Science, Training

Techniques and Strategies for Mental Coping. There are many areas of PST (Psychological Skills Training) used by psychologists in both medical and clinical settings, however my area of focus for this article is in Mental Coping. I’m sure everyone has heard of and can relate to the term ‘time flies when you’re having fun’. You

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Training For High Altitude

Posted on: 25/03/2015 /

Categories: Sports Science, Training

As a Climber I’m often asked “What is the Best Training for High Altitude?” Regardless of the intended extremity of the altitude, whether it is Mera Peak (6,476m) or Everest (8,848m), people are always surprised by my response that to train for high altitude, swimming is the key. Initially, this doesn’t seem like an intuitive

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How To Climb Mount Everest

Posted on: 19/02/2013 /

Categories: Everest, Expeditions, Sponsorship, Sports Science, Training

So, you want to climb Mount Everest. Chomolungma or Sagarmatha as they say in Tibet and Nepal. Standing at 8,848m above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth and hence it is on the to-do list of many high altitude climbers including those aiming for the seven summits or even the 14

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It Never Rains In Aberdeen

Posted on: 02/03/2012 /

Categories: Scotland, Training

This blog details my trip to a little known country, known to a select few as Scotland. You may have heard many tales about the people from this land being kilt wearing, deep fried Mars Bar eating, Caber tossing bagpipe players. And for the most part you would be right. However there are a small

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Heart Rate A Barometer Of Health

Posted on: 23/01/2012 /

Categories: Sports Science, Training

Introduction This article is inspired by an athlete you’ve probably never heard of, yet was at one point the greatest athlete in his sport, in addition to being analogous to the greatest athletes of all time. David Palmer, a professional squash player from Lithgow, Australia recently retired from the sport at the beginning of November,

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The Need For Specificity

Posted on: 16/01/2012 /

Categories: Sports Science, Training

This article covers arguably the most essential element for effective training; specificity. Having specificity in training is not as hard as you might first imagine, however it’s something which many people lack, and inevitably stops them from reaching their potential. Clearly, having specificity just means being specific in your training; but specific to what? The

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Baruntse & Mera Peak Expedition 2011 Part 3

Posted on: 12/12/2011 /

Categories: Baruntse, Expeditions, Global Angels, Training

The Amphu Lapcha A quick and cold fair well was given to Baruntse base camp as we got underway for Chukhung. This was expected to be a 12 hour day which would be a shock to the system after trekking for 6 hours at most on the walk in. Walking most of the way with

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Baruntse & Mera Peak Expedition 2011 Part 2

Posted on: 12/12/2011 /

Categories: Baruntse, Expeditions, Global Angels, Training

Arriving at Baruntse The arrival at Baruntse was impressive one, as BC, the moraine, and the towering Southwest face of Baruntse opened out in front of us. This was our home for the next 10 days. During the rest of this day and the next, the first rest days we had had for 17 days,

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