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)