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)