Three Maltese men plan to go where no other Maltese has been before.

They are to attempt to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain in May next year to promote awareness about asthma and better air quality in Malta.

The men - engineer Marco Cremona, doctor Greg Attard and consultant Robert Gatt, will spend 10 weeks climbing the mountain's 8,848 metres, camping in inhospitable terrain and cold temperatures, blizzards, avalanches, snow storms and 100km/hr winds.

In preparation, they will be climbing Cho Oyu in September. At 8,201 metres this is the sixth highest mountain in the world. This will take the team into the Death Zone, the level of elevation which does not conain enough oxygen to sustain life for a prolonged period.

Video: Fiona Galea Debono speaks to the climbers.

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