Olympic flame atop world's highest summit

Climbers display the flags at the top of Mt. Qomolangma. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Chinese mountaineers carried the Olympic flame to the peak of the world's highest mountain at around 9:10 a.m. (0110 GMT) on May 8, fulfilling the promise Beijing made in its Olympic bid.

The scaling of 8,844.43 meter Mt. Qomolangma, known as Mt. Everest in the West, which straddles Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region, added to what has already been a historic Olympic Torch Relay and bonded mountaineering to the Olympics for the first time since its birth as a sport in 1786.

A collective triumph of mountaineers and technicians from various Chinese ethnic groups, the Mt. Qomolangma leg of the Torch Relay gave new meaning to the word "higher" in the Olympic motto and to Beijing's concept of a "High-tech Olympics."

Led by 45-year-old veteran alpinist and head coach Wang Yongfeng, the squad was composed of 36 members, including three females, some students and five coaches. The average age of the group was 30.2 and each member had climbed to an elevation of at least 6,000 meters before.

The ascent officially began when the team left Base Camp, which is 5,200 meters above sea level, for the 6,500 meter point 28 kilometers away, said a spokesman. Heavy snowfall on May 2 and 3 halted the climb.

After the weather turned favorable, the team continued on the remaining 20 kilometers to the summit, stopping at various camps along the way.

A total of 19 mountaineers were selected from among the squad to bring the Olympic flame from the Attack camp -- at the altitude of 8,300 meters — to the summit of Mount Qomolangma.

The summit assault started at around 1:45 a.m. on May 8 and the team reached the peak at 9:10 a.m.

Training for the mission began 16 months ago. In November of 2006, over 70 climbers started training both in Beijing's Huairou County and in the Tibet Region; joint training was conducted in March of 2007.

Keeping the torch burning through bad weather, low pressure and high altitude was a tremendous technical achievement. In a test run on May 9, 2007, 17 Chinese climbers scaled Mt. Qomolangma with a flame protected in a high-tech torch, designed by a Chinese aerospace company, The success of the test run assured organizers that the Olympic torch would remain lit during the actual Torch Relay.

After the test run, the newly formed Chinese Mountaineering Team prepared themselves for the Olympic Torch Relay climb in Beijing, Yunnan Province and Tibet.

2008年5月8日9时17分(前发为16分),象征“和平、友谊和进步”的奥运火炬登上了世界最高峰珠穆朗玛峰峰顶。

8日凌晨1时30分至3时30分,19名登山队员分批从珠峰北坡海拔8300米的突击营地出发,向顶峰冲刺。他们在幽暗的夜色和初露的晨曦中闯过“第二台阶”、大雪坡等天险,跋涉6个多小时。在距顶峰30米处,罗布占堆从火种灯中点燃了取火棒后,用取火棒点燃了第一棒火炬手、藏族女登山队员吉吉手中的火炬。随后经过王勇峰、尼玛次仁、黄春贵的传递后,第五棒、也是最后一棒火炬手、藏族女队员次仁旺姆(女)于9时17分在珠峰顶峰8844·43米处展示了手中熊熊燃烧的“祥云”火炬。随后,火炬手们将五星红旗、奥运五环旗和北京奥运会会徽旗展开,高呼“北京欢迎你”。

当火炬手们在陡峭的山脊上艰难前行时,珠峰大本营指挥中心的几十人都屏住了呼吸,紧盯着电视屏幕。登山总指挥李致新双唇紧闭,攥着步话机,一言不发。而当火炬成功喷射出橘红色火焰,指挥中心的帐篷里顿时沸腾了。人们情不自禁地欢呼、拥抱,不少人流下了热泪。

“奥运圣火登顶珠峰,这是我们中国人创造的又一项奇迹。”在拉萨,中国首批登上珠峰者之一的贡布难掩心中激动。自1960年以来,中国已有百余人登顶珠峰。

为了今天的成功,有关各方进行了大量艰苦的准备工作。4月初,登山火炬手就进入6500米以上的高海拔山区,开始高寒缺氧等适应性训练。中国航天科工集团用两年时间研发了专门用于珠峰特殊气候条件的火种灯和特种火炬,实验了上百种方案。

“这是奥运与登山的首次结合,充分印证了‘更快、更高、更强’的奥运格言,”中国登山协会秘书长张志坚说,“这是奥运史上一次空前壮举。”中国人将火炬带到地球“第三极”,被国际奥委会认为是“对人类能力的挑战,从某种意义上说是要达到勇气和耐力的新高峰”。

火炬手们于10时15分开始从顶峰下撤。登顶成功后的火炬、火种将送拉萨保存,6月份与内地传递的主火种汇合。