The Everest 14 team has set off on its final summit bid, an attempt that will bring to a close an expedition delayed by red tape and severe winds and shaken by the deadliest avalanche ever recorded on the world’s highest peak.

Expedition leader and medic Gregory Attard informed Times of Malta that, on Thursday, the Maltese team settled for a cold and uncomfortable night at Camp 1, some 7,060 metres above sea level.

They climbed about 900 metres to Camp 2 yesterday, where they rested for a few hours before beginning the summit push.

It will take the team about six hours to reach Camps 3 and 4. At an altitude of 8,300 metres, they would not want to spend much time there. Ultra high altitude mountaineering can be very debilitating and the inability to maintain hydration can result in being increasingly susceptible to the effects of high altitude, acute mountain sickness, frostbite and hypothermia.

The possibility of a summit window today and tomorrow slowly began to take shape

Following Camp 4, the team will then reach the northeast ridge proper. According to Everest summiter and blogger Alan Arnette, the northeast ridge represents the most difficult climbing of the route.

Activity becomes increasingly difficult at this altitude. The route requires hard pulling on the fixed ropes in the final gully to the ridge. It will take the team between eight and 10 hours to reach the summit.

The crux of the climb is the Chinese Ladder. They must first climb about three metres of rock slab, then the near-vertical nine-metre ladder. This section is very exposed with a 3,000-metre drop.

This is even more difficult to navigate during the descent because the team members would not be able to see their feet placement on the ladder’s rungs. This brief section is notorious for long delays, thus increasing the chance of frostbite or acute mountain sickness.

The climbers would then need to scale the steep snowfields of the Summit Pyramid. This is a steep snow slope, often windy and extremely cold, leaving the climbers very exposed.

The Maltese team was disappointed after the Chinese refused to open the route, rendering them unable to take advantage of a weather window between May 17 and 18. However, following long discussions with the Chinese teams and detailed scrutiny of the weather reports, the possibility of a summit window today and tomorrow slowly began to take shape, Dr Attard said.

The team is striving to raise €30,000 in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza. To donate, visit www.everest14.com/charity.