Dear colleagues and friends of mountain medicine,

We are pleased to invite you for an international conference whose main themes will be mountain medicine, mountain rescue and medicine in the wild. This event will take place in October 4 and 5, 2008. It is a follow-up to the yearly Pelican’s Seminars organized by the Medical Commission of the Czech Mountaineering Association and Czech Society for Mountain Medicine. However, a conference of this scope and extent is held for the first time in the Czech Republic. We have organized the conference on the occasion of meeting of the Medical Commission of the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) that takes place in the Czech Republic this year. We are very happy that experts from all over the world will share their knowledge and experience from mountaineering and other outdoor activities with us. We decided to locate the conference in Teplice nad Metují which is close to our best known sandstone rocks – Teplicko-Adršpašské skály and to the setting of the International Festival of Mountaineering Films.

The main topics of the conference are:

• High altitude medicine
• Medical aspects of sport climbing
• Mountain and wilderness rescue
• Workshops with practical training

The programme of the congress and the subject matter of the lectures is addressed not only to doctors and rescuers but also to mountaineers and rock climbers who mind their health and are interested in solving medical problems in remote areas or during intensive training. The programme of this conference will consist of specialized presentations divided into blocks based on the topic. In every block, there will be some space for discussion and multilateral exchange of experience. As a part of the specialized programme, we have prepared a poster section. A discussion on posters will take place within the scope of the conference programme.

Presentations of companies manufacturing and selling outdoor and rescuer equipment will also be a part of the programme of the Pelican’s Conference 2008. They are hereby cordially invited.

Social and accompanying programme will be another integral part of the conference. We hereby invite all participants who have interesting experience and are able to make valuable presentations of their activities. These presentations will take place on Saturday evening. On Sunday morning you will be able to watch the work of rescue units and to try out some rescue techniques yourselves (rescue in rock terrain, work with avalanche transceivers etc.).

We believe that you will kindly accept our invitation and we look forward to seeing you in Teplice nad Metují.

 

MUDr. Jana Kubalová
Head of the Medical Commission of the Czech Mountaineering Association
Head of the Organizational Committee and Coordinator of the specialized programme

 

MUDr. Ivan Rotman
Head of the Czech Society for Mountain Medicine