In conversation with…Thomas Frederic Hornbein

Xtreme Everest's Dr Ned Gilbert-Kawai fourth and finalIn Conversation with... piece has just been published on Extreme Physiology & Medicine. The interview is part of Dr Gilbert-Kawai's mission to interview the good and the great from the academic world. The interviews lasted anything up to three hours, covering the span of each academics career including the highs, the lows and most importantly the research.

In his own words, Ned tells how the interviews and subsequent papers came about;

Whilst attending a conference last year, I was fortunate enough to be seated at lunch next to a very eminent octogenarian academic. Conversation ensued, and I was instantly captivated by his stories. These were not narratives filled with scientific facts, but rather anecdotes of his life and the pathways he had taken to get where he was today. Fascinated by such accounts, I set about the task of interviewing persons of scientific acclaim, to learn more about their life stories and unwritten tales. In conversation with... therefore offers readers a chance to share an abridged version of these conversations.

The subject for the fourth piece is Thomas Frederic Hornbein, an American mountaineer, who is best know for his book Everest: The West Ridge which tells the story of his and partner Willi Unsoeld attempt to climb Mount Everest via the West Ridge in 1963 as part of the American Everest Expedition. Hornbein also spent 43 years working in Seattle as a teacher, researcher and clinician.

You can read or download the paper, by visiting the Extreme Physiology and Medicine website.

This is the final piece in the series, and Dr Gilbert-Kawai will be hosting a special In conversation with... session with John West, John Severinghaus, Jim Milledge and Tom Hornbein as part of the KnO2wledge 10 conference at the Royal Society of Medicine on the 23 May. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Royal Society of Medicine website