ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Environmental, Aviation and Space Physiology
This article is part of the Research TopicBuilding Resilience to Extreme Environments: The Role of Wearables and Artificial Intelligence to Monitor Physiological Parameters in Real-Life ConditionsView all articles
Real-Time Thermoregulatory and Cardiovascular Monitoring of Non-Acclimatised Mountaineers in Extreme Cold: A 10-Day Field Expedition Study
Provisionally accepted
Borja Muñiz1
Panagiotis Verdoukas2
Elena Comadran de Barnola1Yiu Chung Issac Chan-Twist3
Hashel Al Tunaiji4
Yannis Pitsiladis5*- 1Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
- 2Human Telemetrics, London, United Kingdom
- 3Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
- 4Zayed Military University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- 5Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR China
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Background: The primary aim of this study was to characterise the thermoregulatory and cardiovascular responses of non-acclimatised mountaineers during different exercise modalities and camping conditions in extreme cold. A secondary aim was to assess the feasibility of real-time transmission of physiological data to enhance safety during cold expeditions. Methods: This study assessed thermoregulatory and cardiovascular responses of 18 non-acclimatised mountaineers from the United Arab Emirates during a 10-day winter expedition in Skeikampen, Norway. Participants performed daily cross-country skiing or snowshoe walking (~5–6 h/day) and experienced two camping conditions (quinzhee and tent). Core temperature (Tc) was measured via ingestible telemetric pills, and heart rate (HR) via chest straps. Data were transmitted in real-time using a wearable ecosystem comprising Bluetooth gateways and eSIM-enabled smartwatches. Results: Cross-country skiing elicited significantly higher mean Tc (+0.20°C, p < 0.01) and HR (+12.8 bpm, p < 0.01) than snowshoe walking. Peak Tc during quinzhee camping was significantly higher than during tent camping (+0.55°C, p= 0.03), suggesting superior insulation. No cases of hypothermia were recorded. Real-time data transmission enabled continuous remote monitoring, with actionable alerts triggered when Tc dropped below safety thresholds. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the feasibility of real-time physiological monitoring in extreme cold, offering practical insight into activity-specific thermoregulatory strain. The findings underscore the importance of shelter design, physical activity selection, and wearable monitoring to enhance safety and decision-making in cold environments.
Keywords: cold stress, Core temperature, environmental physiology, Heart Rate, Mountaineering, Real-time monitoring, thermoregulation, Wearable Technology
Received: 17 Oct 2025; Accepted: 06 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Muñiz, Verdoukas, Comadran de Barnola, Chan-Twist, Al Tunaiji and Pitsiladis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yannis Pitsiladis
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