Ogun halts Everest scale

Ogun halts Everest scale

JAKARTA (JP): Swirling wind and freezing conditions stopped
the effort of Indonesia's Gunawan Achmad and his 16-strong team
to scale the 8,848-meter Mount Everest last week with just 648
meters up to go.

Gunawan, or Ogun as his close friends call him, joined the
International Mountain Climbing (IMC) expedition attempting to
reach the summit of the world via the northern route in Tibet,
starting Sept. 26. The team which also grouped mountain climbers
from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the U.S. and Bolivia reached
the third camp of the world's highest mountain before deciding to
turn around.

The 36-year-old Ogun, with a collection of conquests in
setting his feet on the highest mounts of four continents, now
becomes the first Indonesian to reach the altitude of 8,000
meters. Ogun, who will arrive home today, will have another
chance next year when he leads the Indonesian team back to
Everest. (amd)