The cradle of mountaineers

Among the 12-member team of climbers who brought the Beijing Olympic flame to the top of Mount Qomolangma were seven alpinists from the Tibet Mountaineering School (TMS).

Coming from the cradle of China's mountaineers and mountaineering guides, these ethnic Tibetans played a crucial role in carrying the sacred flame to the peak of the world.

Tibet is known for its highlands and grand peaks, offering year round climbing opportunities.

But lack of professional training saw Tibetans able to provide only simple services for mountain expeditions - until the TMS was created in 1999.

Founded jointly by the Tibet Mountain Association (TMA) and the Ozark Outdoor Gear Company, the first 20 students were selected from the rural areas of Tibet in March 1999.

The joint founders built the school while the Federation Francaise de la Montagne et de I'Escalade supplied technical assistance. This cooperation has continued and grown over the years, with the second group of 23 students admitted in 2002.

All TMS students are schooled in English and Chinese, while a select number learn Japanese and French as well.

The school also provides intensive training in rock and ice-climbing techniques, rope skills, safety, and general mountaineering skills that include camp management, logistical planning and weather patterns.

Students have also been sent to France and Beijing for advanced training on subjects such as high altitude techniques and emergency aid.

Up to last year, 26 students from the TMS have reached the peak of Mount Qomolangma, among them Ngawang Norbu, who has scaled Qomolangma five times, a record for Chinese mountaineers.

The president of TMA, Nyima Cering, captained the team that brought the Olympic torch to the peak.

Thirteen of the 19 members of the team are ethnic Tibetans.

Three of the five torchbearers that relayed the Olympic flame to the top of the world were Tibetans. The last of these was Cering Wangmo, the world's youngest woman to scale Qomolangma. She reached the peak in 2006 when she was only 19.

Shoppers and residents watch live coverage of the Olympic torch ascent to Mount Qomolangma shown on a huge TV screen in Beijing yesterday. Reuters

Members of the support crew for the Olympic torch relay team celebrate at a base camp after their climbers reach the summit of Mount Qomolangma yesterday. Reuters

(China Daily 05/09/2008 page6)