The Nino Corsi refuge sits at 7,402 feet above sea level, tucked into Val Martello inside Stelvio National Park, one of the largest protected natural areas in the Italian Alps. It’s surrounded by glaciers, biting winds even in summer, and summits topping 9,800 feet in every direction.
This is where a team of European researchers wants to set up a living laboratory for two months. They’re looking for 12 people willing to spend a month in the Italian Alps under controlled conditions, with lodging, meals, and a stipend included.
The research center Eurac Research is now accepting applications for the MAHE study (Moderate Altitude Healthy Exposure), designed to examine how the body responds to living above 6,500 feet for a month.
The underlying question is more complex than it sounds: does living at roughly 7,500 feet protect human health — guarding against metabolic risk, for instance — or could it be harmful to some people?
The Gap Science Wants to Fill
The effects of extreme altitude have been under the microscope for decades. Researchers know what happens to the body at extreme elevations, how the cardiovascular system reacts above 13,000 feet, and when acute mountain sickness sets in.
Most studies have been conducted between 11,100 and 16,400 feet, where the effects of thin air are most intense — though those extremes are the least representative of everyday life in the mountains.
The problem is that this middle range — between 6,500 and 8,200 feet — has been largely overlooked, even though it’s where the most people actually live. An estimated 200 million people live permanently above 6,500 feet, and many more travel to these elevations to hike, ski, or train for endurance sports.
These altitudes don’t cause dramatic symptoms, yet over time, sustained exposure changes how the body works in ways that are still poorly understood.
What the Scientists Will Measure — and Who They’re Looking For
“We will monitor blood pressure, sympathetic nervous system activity, blood volume, red blood cell count, dietary intake, appetite, and even sleep quality,” said Hannes Gatterer, director of the Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine at Eurac Research.
Researchers will also track cardiac and pulmonary function, metabolism, and physical endurance in each participant throughout the study — all while volunteers go about their usual routines: working remotely, eating, sleeping, and moving around as they would anywhere else.
“We needed to find a hut at the right altitude, one that could house both volunteers and researchers, but that was also accessible and somewhere not overrun by tourists,” Gatterer said.
Val Martello fit the bill: a remote valley in South Tyrol, ringed by the Cevedale massif and the peaks of the Ortler group, reachable only by a mountain road with 22 hairpin turns that climbs more than 4,900 feet.
The team will choose just 12 volunteers, following strict criteria to ensure the study’s scientific validity.
Researchers are looking for men and women aged 18 to 40 who are in good general health, don’t smoke, and have no history of heavy drinking or drug use. The ideal candidate exercises intensely no more than twice a week. The team wants data that applies to the general public, not elite athletes.
One requirement sets this study apart from similar ones: applicants must not have spent any time above 4,900 feet in the month before the experiment begins. Participants must arrive at the refuge with no prior adaptation to altitude.
The experience unfolds in three stages. First, an opening week in Silandro, at 2,362 feet, to establish each participant’s baseline. Then four straight weeks at the Nino Corsi refuge, at 7,546 feet, with continuous medical monitoring. Finally, a follow-up week in Bolzano.
The Spots — and How to Apply
Within hours of the announcement going public, researchers received more than 160 inquiries for just 12 spots. Interest far exceeded expectations, and the project’s official website was overwhelmed with traffic. Reports suggest no spots remain for the August–September 2026 session.
Anyone interested in future rounds, or in checking the current status of applications, can contact Eurac Research directly. The study’s findings are expected to open up new avenues of research.
Once fieldwork is complete, the researchers plan to publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals.
What emerges from that data could reshape our medical understanding of the relationship between moderate altitude and human health — a relationship that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and, until now, has been consistently overlooked.
