Team Geared Up

SINGAPORE (Team Geared Up) - The Irish team have issued a press release May 8th 2008 from Everest Base Camp. The mountain is open! Now… let’s hope the rush of 285 climbers for the top doesn’t cause a loss of life. Fingers crossed.

Chinese Summit Puts Irish Everest Plans Back On Track

Climbers Graham Kinch (29) and Ian Taylor (29), the youngest Irish men to attempt Mt Everest and also the first Dubliner and Kildareman respectively were woken today on day 48 of their Everest expedition to the sound of an aeroplane flying over the summit. “We all knew what it ment” said Taylor, “and the good news that the Chinese had summited at 5:20am Nepalese time (12:35am Irish time) followed with resouning cheers throughout base camp”. The Chinese who are hosting the Olympics in June had imposed restrictions on the Nepaleese side of the mountain until after they had summitted with the Olympic tourch. The 285 climbers at base camp, including the two Irishmen have spent over a week waiting for the Chinese to summit so that they can continue with their summit attempts.

The two Irishmen have only one more aclimatisation trip up the mountain before their ascent proper. They will leave at 2:00am on Friday morning, going straight to Camp 2 at 22,000ft for two nights before pushing on up to Camp 3 at 24,000ft on the 11th. “Although we have effectively been idle at base camp for the last 8 days” said Kinch, “donations for the Kitandwe School Project in Uganda have continued to flow in via our website www.everest2008.ie, for which we are very appreciative”.

The two Irish climbers are in the final weeks of a year long journey that will see them climb four mountains on four continents in order to raise €85,000 for a school in the Ugandan village of Kitandwe in partnership with the Irish charity Fields of Life. If all goes according to plan they will complete their journey by summiting Mt Everest on the 23rd May.

-Robin.