Kiwis reach Mount Everest summit
27 May 2008
A New Zealand adventure company has overcome military interference to lead a team to conquer Mount Everest, the first New Zealanders to do so since the death of Sir Edmund Hillary in January.
Kiwi guides Lydia Bradey and Mike Roberts, from Adventure Consultants in Wanaka, South Island, led an international team of climbers to the peak on Saturday May 24, after armed military waylaid the journey for about a month.
Adventure Consultants director Guy Cotter of Wanaka travelled with the team to base camp. He said success was a relief in the face of challenging conditions.
"It has been a difficult season," he said. "Normally we just have to deal with issues involving the mountains, not politics."
Military Interference
The delay came as the military halted travellers at camp two, fearing climbers may interfere with the Chinese Olympic torch relay. "It's supposed to be about sport, yet here was the Olympics curtailing our own sport."
Cotter said climbers were warned they would be shot if they ventured past camp two, and one man was sent home after he was found with a Free Tibet flag.
With the military not leaving until May 10, Cotter said the group was forced to drastically alter its plans, scrap a gradual acclimatisation programme and hope for good weather as the season drew to a close.
It was the first time a mother and daughter have conquered Everest together, with two Australians in the group setting the record.
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