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Peak Performance on Mt. Everest
Kohler received a postcard from Mt. Everest base camp thanking the Power Generators team for its dependable products in the world’s harshest environments.
"The Generators have worked like a charm and thus our research is going very well."
Kohler generators reached new heights in 1984, as they played an integral part in a medical research expedition on Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain.
The journey of the generators began almost eight years prior when a group consisting of three physicians, a biomedical engineer, and 12 very experienced mountaineers formed the Ultima Thule Everest expedition. Their goal: to climb Mount Everest’s northern route and conduct scientific research on the link between the lungs and the brain at high altitudes. Their research helped further understanding of health disorders including stroke, epilepsy, and meningitis.
To undertake the studies, the group carried medical equipment and instruments to a camp on Everest, a height of 21,325 feet. To power the equipment, the group needed reliable generators that would work without fail in such extreme conditions. Kohler generators delivered peak performance.
“We were especially interested in Kohler generators because they have a reputation for quality,” noted Tom Clement, a biomedical engineer and member of the expedition. Kohler Co. donated three 3,500-watt generators, each weighing 99 pounds.
After four months and nearly four vertical miles of ice, rock and snow, the climb was over, and the expedition was considered a success. Important medical data was obtained and members of the expedition shared their enthusiasm for Kohler generators.
“I cannot stress enough how valuable they were to our expedition and to our medical research. They performed reliably and tirelessly in extremely harsh conditions including oxygen levels equivalent to 40 percent of that at sea level, heavy winds and dust, and temperatures well below freezing,” Clement said.
The Kohler generators attained fame as part of the expedition, as they were mentioned in all the papers the research group published about the technical aspects and equipment used throughout the journey.
The team thanked Kohler with a personal postcard sent from the Mt. Everest base camp to Kohler, WI.
