Everest climbers to advise Cypriots

The Challenge8000 team, made up of the first Maltese to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, will be giving guidance to a Cypriot team aiming to attempt the summit in 2013.

With the Challenge8000 team placing the Maltese flag on the summit last May, Cyprus is the only country in Europe that has not had its flag on the top of the world.

Inspired by the Maltese climbers’ success, a team of Cypriot climbers have asked them to provide advice on how to prepare for the arduous expedition.

The Challenge8000 team, made up of Gregory Attard, Marco Cremona and Robert Gatt, made history when they reached the top of Everest in the early hours of May 17.

Mr Cremona said the team was honoured to have been inspirational not only to fellow Maltese to “go and do something special” but also to international climbers.

“It is a great honour for us to be approached by international peers in the sport to provide advice. The Cypriots could have gone anywhere for information but they chose us because they appreciated our professional approach and the difficulties climbers from non-mountaineering countries have to contend with,” he added.