Three Maltese climbers had successfully reached the summit of Mt Cho Oyu in the Himalayas, the sixth highest mountain in the world.
Robert Gatt, Gregory Attard and Marco Cremona, who form the Challenge 8000 team, started their last push to the summit (8,201metres) yesterday from camp 2 at 2,7100 metres. They reach the summit early this morning.
This was the first time ever that any Maltese climber has taken the Maltese flag on a mountain peak of that height.
A spokesman said the team members had reported being very tired even before leaving camp 2, but were still very determined to reach the top. The team are now back in camp one for rest. None of them has suffered from any serious altitude sickness.
In Spring 2010 the challenge8000 team will be the first Maltese team to attempt Mount Everest.
More details about the Cho Oyu and the Everest expeditions can be found on www.challenge8000.net
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It was really an exhilerating moment when you know that at that specific moment, we were holding the Maltese flag above all other in the world. Although Cho Oyu is not the highest mountain in the world (it's the 6th highest), at that specific moment in time (7.05am Nepali time) we were sure that for those few seconds, we were the people at the highest elevation in the world, and with us of course the Maltese flag.
Let's hope that our initiative will inspire ALL Maltese to do something for their country, and for our politicians to do something concrete in protecting the quality of the air we breathe - a commodity we take for granted but which is so valuable for life - as we have experienced so closely. Malta has the highest rate of asthma sufferers in the world, and through our inaction we are compromising the quality of life of our children - from birth.
Let's hope Challenge8000 manages to not only place the Maltese flag above all others but also to bring about a change in the quality of life in Malta - through the safeguarding of the air we breathe.
good luck ghal futur
Bastjan