About Us
Base Camp Altitude Training provides an evidence based, clinical and high-end facility to help individuals reach their highest potential through simulated altitude training. We cater for sports performance and event readiness for athletes of all levels as well as acclimatisation for adventure travel. We also have a focus on the more clinical applications of altitude training such as diabetes and weight management, respiratory disease management and return to sport from injury and surgery.
We have assembled a very experienced group of doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors and exercise physiologists to oversee the facility. Each of these experts has a personal affinity with endurance exercise with most competing at high levels of their chosen sports. We are all ongoing personal students of the altitude training model while passing our expertise onto the public.
As our staff are all Allied Health Professionals, we can offer health fund rebates on our initial assessment, ongoing programming, testing and biomechanical analysis.
Base Camp is bringing the mountain to you!
Paul Hadfield and Matthew Olthof operate Gymea Allied Health Centre and BASE CAMP Altitude Training with the support of a fantastic team of health professionals. You can read about them and their personal altitude training journey below.
Paul Hadfield
B.Sc. Exercise & Sport Science, M.Chiropractic
Sport and exercise have been a consistent joy in my life. I grew up chasing my father around an athletics track and haven’t stopped running and jumping since.
My own journey in sport started as a young gymnast and progressed to representing Australia in 5 World Trampolining Championships. I have more recently been drawn to the muddy glamour of trail running and have become what my wife would describe as ‘a running nerd’. The simplicity of strapping the shoes on and running out in our beautiful Royal National Park is truly food for my soul. I’ve now clocked up a long list of ultramarathons including 12 cracks at the gruelling 100km distance.
My affinity with altitude training began with a 3-month block of simulated altitude leading in to the 2017 UTMB CCC 100km. The fitness and confidence I gained from these sessions was a large part of my successful completion of one the toughest races Europe has to offer.
I have devoted my 17 years as a chiropractor to helping athletes of all levels and the greater population to realise their physical potential. Ensuring that people’s bodies are balanced and strong is a cornerstone of my practice. This is underpinned by educating patients on the finer points of good nutrition, healthy sleep practices, variety of movement and the importance of community.
Base Camp Altitude combines an evidence based approach to enhancing people’s performance and fitness with experienced health professionals aiming to optimise the athlete’s health and well-being.
Matthew Olthof
B.Sc. Exercise Science, M.Chiropractic
As a chiropractor of 12 years I have always had the desire to help people be their best - whether it is by managing an injury crisis or by providing guidance to support healthy living and sport performance. The concept of having a hypoxic training facility in the centre made a lot of sense to me for its applications for both performance and rehabilitation.
On a more personal level, I have always loved to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Over the years, my leisure time has been spent playing soccer, squash, surfing and free diving. Managing a busy allied health practice and with three young kids at home, my priorities changed and time became more of a factor. My exercise focus shifted more toward running and in more recent times I have started to challenge myself more in the sport. .
While I am by no means an elite athlete, I have started to utilise training at BASE CAMP to supplement and enhance my current training. Currently I am using altitude training twice a week, one as a recovery session (to let my joints and muscles have a bit of a break while still working my aerobic system) and the other session a little harder - to stimulate different physiological adaptations to improve performance.
I am very proud of the facility we have here and I am very excited to see the results that can be achieved by everybody who comes through our doors. I am very much looking forward to helping people Reach New Heights!