Olympic torch to be carried to Mt. Qomolangma along north slope

Zhang also said the Chinese Mountaineering team has been talking about the selection of the climbers who will take the final assault from the 8,300-meter-high camp to the top.

"We are discussing the final selection but it is still up in the air," he said.

There are 28 km between the 5,200-meter-high Base Camp and the 6,500-meter-high ABC, and from the ABC, there are 20 km to the top.

Zhang has named a 36-strong team one day earlier, including 24 ethnic Tibetans, 10 Han Chinese, one from Tu ethnic group and one from Tujia ethnic group, but apparently not everyone stands the chance of scaling the top of Mount Qomolangma.

"Mountaineering requires cooperation and carrying the Olympic torch to the top as well makes it much tougher, so the torchbearers need to be physically and mentally strong, and willing to sacrifice personal profits for the holy cause," he said.

"Besides, we consider the ethnic group and gender."

The team, with an average age of 30.2, includes three women climbers.

The Chinese Mountaineering Team has scaled Mount Qomolangma successfully for more than ten times since 1960.

According to a scientific measurement in 2005, the altitude of Mount Qomolangma is 8844.43 meters, 3.70 meters lower than the figure obtained in 1975.

Editor:Zhang Ning