Friday, May 9, 2008

All The Way To The Top of Chomolungma...

...Or Qomolangma
...or Zhumulangma Feng (珠穆朗玛峰)

In case you’ve been keeping track of the Olympic torch….

“The team of Chinese mountaineers carrying the Olympic torch has reached the summit of Mt. Everest - or Qomolangma as Xinhua News Agency insists on calling it.
The 19-member final assault team was comprised of both ethnic Han Chinese and Tibetan members and also included university students. The team captain is a Tibetan, identified as Nyima Cering, while the deputy is Chinese, Luo Shen, CCTV and the Xinhua News Agency said.
This was not the 'main' torch and was outside of the main torch relay (the torch is currently in Guangzhou - formerly known as Canton before heading to Shenzhen) but the flames are from the same source. The Everest flame had been carried in a special metal canister during the ascent. As the team neared the top, they used a wand to pass the flame from the canister to the torch, which had been designed to withstand the frigid, windy, oxygen-thin Himalayan air.”


Photo Xinhua