Maltese team hoping for first try at Everest peak

The Maltese Everest-climbers left Base Camp today in what they hope will be an attempt at the summit, their first.

If the conditions are right, the Challenge 8000 team should make the peak this weekend. However, there is a 50-50 chance the conditions will not be good enough and they would have to try again later.

Should a good weather window open and the attempt be successful, Gregory Attard, Marco Cremona and Robert Gatt would be the first Maltese to reach the top of the world's highest mountain.

Last week, there had been hope of an early summit on Friday, however, a snowstorm derailed their plans.

Speaking to The Times from Everest Base Camp, Mr Cremona said the team would leave the camp early this morning, at one o'clock Nepal time.

"The reason we're leaving so early is because we have to cross the Western Cwm on the way to Camp 2. It's basically a valley surrounded by ice, which reflects solar radiation and makes it unbearably hot. The second reason is that, in the Himalayas, the weather is much better in the morning than in the afternoon," the mountaineer said.

If the weather forecast favours a summit bid, the group will cross the Lhotse Icefall from Camp 2 to Camp 3, where they will have to sleep using oxygen masks. From there on, the men will be using oxygen tanks because the air is thin and does not provide enough oxygen for vigorous tasks such as climbing 1,000 metres of ice.

After spending the night in Camp 4, the team would leave at night to be able to reach the summit by the morning. At this stage, the climbers will be supported by a Sherpa each, as well as one oxygen tank while going up and another one going down.

"The expectation is we leave Camp 4 at 10 p.m., so that the biggest part of the trek will be done at night, which means we'd summit at 10 a.m. so we could enjoy the panorama. It doesn't make much sense to go up in the dark," Mr Cremona said.

Once there, the climbers will plant the Maltese flag where it has never gone before. "We've got one each," Mr Cremona laughed.

Should the weather not allow for a summit, the team will still climb to Camp 3 and use it for acclimatisation purposes.

"If we come back down without summiting, it doesn't mean we've failed," the mountaineer said.

"Then there's also the possibility of a decent time window after May 23. So, basically, we've got the opportunity of reaching the peak this weekend or the next," a confident yet cautious Mr Cremona said.

The team is made up of the Maltese trio, guide Victor Saunders and Manuel Morgado, a Brazilian climber.