RI woman to tempt Everest

RI woman to tempt Everest

JAKARTA (JP): Female mountain climber Clara Sumarwati wants to
carve herself a piece of history in August as the first
Indonesian ever to reach the 8,848-meter summit of Mt. Everest.

She has acquired financial support from Minister/State
Secretary Moerdiono and the National Sports Council.

She has obtained a permit from the China Mountaineering
Association to attempt the North Face, which many believe is more
demanding than the South Col route in Nepal.

The permit is valid from August to October, the period in
which the weather is usually the most favorable for climbers.

Clara told The Jakarta Post yesterday that the North Face is
steeper than the South Col. She visited the 8,200-meter South Col
Camp Four in 1994, and reckons it is by no means less dangerous.

"Many avalanches await on the Nepalese route. The temperature
can go as low as minus 50 Centigrade," said Clara, who reached
the 7,525-meter apex of Nepal's Anapurna Four in 1990, and the
6,959-meter peak of Argentina's Aconcagua in 1992.

Clara said she has prepared well for the expedition. Her
training regime includes an acclimatization program on Mount Gede
in West Java every month, climbing the Citatah escarpment in West
Java every month, plus swimming and working out in a gym every
morning and evening.

If all goes well, the 31-year-old pedagogic psychologist will
start up Everest on Aug. 9. Rodney Lay from Business Advisory
Indonesia is her expedition management consultant. (arf)