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Tibet team short on funds
for climb
Berita Harian - 14 March 2002
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Two Malay undergraduates
have been selected to learn the ropes of mountaineering from
experienced mountaineers through a pioneer programme called
"Make It Real". Syed Shaffique Syed Mohamed Aljoofri
and Muhamed Imran Hassan, both 21 years of age, and studying
in the science faculty in NUS were among the 9 students selected
for this programme. Syed Shaffique is a PSC local merit scholar
for the uniformed services, Ministry of Home Affairs and Muhamed
Imran is a PSC scholar for teaching.
As part of their preparation to climb Tibet's
highest mountain - the 8027m Xixabangma - they went through
specialised training and underwent a technical mountaineering
course in New Zealand last December.
Speaking about his experience, Muhamed
Imran said "This is the first time I've experiened a
snow storm. Although we were sheltered in the hut but the
experience of being couped up for one and a half days with
a small room with 20 other people is not an experience that
I will forget."
Besides that, the experience of digging
a hole into a snow slope as well as facing bad weather played
in their minds.
For Syed Shaffique, the experience was
not short of dangers. "To relieve ourselves we had to
walk 50 metres to the toilet and cross an ice covered plank."
"The handrails were also covered in
ice and dangerous because of the risk of falling," he
said.
The Xixabangma expedition 2002 is divided
into 2, where the first group of experienced mountaineers
will leave and attempt an alpine ascent.
Alpine mountaineering is climbing without
supplementary oxgen, pre-built camps and the and the aid of
sherpas - experienced climber.
This group which consists of Dr Robert
Goh, 36, as the head of the team; Dr Mok Ying Jang, 34; Mr
Edwin Siew Cheok Wai, 32; will leave this Sunday.
Muhamed Imran and Syed Shaffique together
with two other members will be following the second group
this May and will meet the first group at the Xixabangma base
camp in Tibet to learn how to run a base camp and prepare
to climb.
They will continue their journey to climb
Tharpu Chuli. Five other students will be going straight to
Nepal to ascend Chulu West.
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