BMC/BMMS/ISMM Mountain Medicine Festival
Organiser: ISMM
Sat, 16 May – Wed, 20 May 2026
Peak District, UK
Registration and information:
ismm.org/congress
www.mountainmedicinecongress.com
ICAR MedCom, UIAA MedCom and the International Hypothermia Registry group will all be contributing to the event programme. The programme is “work in progress”, but we know that International Hypothermia Day will be on Wednesday 20 May. Abstract submissions will open on 1 November 2025.
The joint congress with the British Mountain Medicine Society and the International Society of Mountain Medicine is upcoming.
Dates: 18–20 May 2026 (with registration on the evening of Sunday 17 May)
Location: Hathersage, Peak District, United Kingdom.
It would be very helpful for the Congress Accommodation Organising Team to receive an early indication of numbers to facilitate pre-booking. Please complete the survey; it will take less than 3 minutes. Your answers are non-binding, and your email address will not be shared with any third parties.
Many thanks in advance for your help.
We look forward to seeing you in just over 11 months’ time!
Warm regards,
Malin Zachau, Organising Committee
Congress attendance survey (early indication, non-binding)
Details
The International Society of Mountain Medicine (ISMM) has asked the British Mountain Medicine Society (BMMS) to host its biennial International Congress. This unique gathering of the great, the good and the not so good of the mountain medicine world will be held in Hathersage. We want our guests to enjoy the village and the Peak District National Park in an environment where ideas will be exchanged over tea and British beer. The success of the annual British Mountaineering Council BMC/BMMS layperson’s mountain medicine weekend convinced us that Hathersage will be the ideal venue, and this lay event will again take place on the initial Saturday and Sunday of the festival. As always, doctors, allied healthcare professionals and holders of the Diploma in Mountain Medicine will volunteer to deliver two days of practical workshops for BMC members and professional instructors and guides.
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the full ISMM Congress will cover more technical medical aspects of climbing and mountaineering, with morning and afternoon plenaries and practically based workshops before and after lunch. There will be poster presentations of recent research projects. Wednesday will be devoted to hypothermia and cold injuries. The UIAA and ICAR medical commissions and international mountain medicine educationalists from the Diploma of Mountain Medicine will hold closed business meetings during the week, but these international members will also share their expertise by giving presentations and running workshops during the main Congress.
So who do we expect to attend? The simple answer is YOU! Anyone with an interest in BMC activities, from sea-cliff rock climbing to attempts on 8,000 m peaks and remote exploration. We welcome mountain professionals, mountain rescue personnel, Munro baggers, ice climbers, alpinists, doctors, nurses, paramedics, medical students and physiologists. Our Congress website is being prepared to take congress bookings, with details of the evolving programme and, as in the past, bookings for the lay weekend will be via the BMC website. These sites will be updated regularly during the autumn (Fall for those attending from America).
This formal medical congress will not be the usual professional gathering in suits and ties; instead, with everyone keen on mountain activities, softshell jackets, hoodies and trainers will be the order of the day. The organisers are aware of the need for a variety of accommodation, ranging from four-star hotels and pubs to the local YHA, climbing huts, and camping facilities for tents and vans. Venues in Hathersage and up and down the Hope Valley include the Memorial Hall, the swimming pool and even local churches. All will be linked by minibuses, or bring your bike.
Expect a full social calendar to relax between more technical events.
Watch this space.
Dr David Hillebrandt
BMC Honorary Medical Advisor
20/7/25