Mount Everest – the highest point on our planet and the ultimate achievement for any climber – has long been a fascination for physicist and adventurer Melanie Windridge. Once the preserve of the world’s elite mountaineers, it has increasingly become accessible to ordinary people through advancements in science and technology.

Fresh from conquering the summit, Melanie joins us to share her experiences of the mountain and describes how it’s possible to train the human body to undergo such feats of extreme endurance. She will examine the new technology that keeps us connected at 8800 metres above sea-level, how meteorologists are getting better at spotting when extreme weather will hit, and how molecules in clothing can keep the heat in and the cold and wind out. Hear stories from the base camp doctors and discover why the thin air around the summit makes helicopter rescue so dangerous.

Melanie Windridge is a plasma physicist, and Communications Consultant for Tokamak Energy. She has also worked as an education consultant with The Ogden Trust and combines adventure and education with her work with Anturus. She is author of Aurora: In search of the Northern Lights and Star Chambers: the Race to Fusion Power. As a former lecturer for the Institute of Physics’ annual schools and college lecture series, she has visited many schools and delivered talks to countless GCSE/A-level students. With the Everest project, she aims to inspire young people and give them an insight into careers and industries they may never have considered.

Watch Melanie’s short film The Importance of Exploration: tv.thebmc.co.uk/videos/the-importance-of-exploration/