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Torch will not go out on Everest

— Photo: AP/Xinhua

Specially designed: The carrier of the Olympic flame relay at Mt. Qomolangma, China’s name for Everest.

QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP: An expert with a torch design lab under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. has said at the Qomolangma Base Camp the Olympic torch could scale the summit without sputtering out.

The ascent of the torch to the top of Mt. Qomolangma (Mount Everest) is one of the highlights of the torch relay for the Beijing Olympics.

“The torch and lantern used for the Qomolangma expedition are high-tech ones capable of withstanding gale-force winds, low temperatures and even the oxygen-thin air atop Mt. Qomolangma,” said Gao Bingxin, deputy director of the design lab.

The flame’s tour in China includes Mt. Qomolangma in May and Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, in June. On the world’s highest peak, ferocious winds and temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius are the major troubles in lighting the torch. “The torch was designed specifically and after the tryouts carried out last year, we can say that our torch can stay alight in the tough, oxygen-sparse conditions that leave even experienced climbers struggling, and everyone will be able to see a bright flame.”

“I can also assure you that if the Mt. Qomolangma grew higher by 200 metres tomorrow, our torch could still burn at the summit.” The torchbearers will take the flame to the world’s highest peak on a day in May that presents the best climatic condition for the ascent. It will be the safest month for climbing considering weather conditions.

Torch fuel has traditionally been a mix of butane and propane that gives off a bright yellow flame without releasing toxins or thick smoke, but the flame inside the lantern for the Qomolangma relay is burning a solid substance, one share of which can stay alight for eight hours. — Xinhua

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