IAF MOUNTAINEERS TO SUMMIT HIGHEST MOUNTAINS OF SEVEN CONTINENTS

New Delhi

February 10, 2010

‘Mission Seven Summits’, an adventure-laced expedition to conquer the highest summits in seven different continents has been launched by IAF. Having scaled the highest and most difficult mountain of the Asian continent, Mt. Everest (8848 M) in 2005, five ace IAF mountaineers led by Wg Cdr RC Tripathi, an Everest climber, will attempt Mt. Aconcagua 6,962 meters (22,841 ft), the highest mountain in the South Americas and the highest mountain outside Asia, from February 11 to March 2, next.

The expedition team was flagged-off by Air Officer-in charge- Administration Air Marshal JN Burma at Air HQ, today. The other members of the team include Wg Cdr Jai Kishan, Sqn Ldr Namit Rawat, JWO Suresh Pal and JWO NR Choudhary (Everest summitter in 2005).

With Mt. Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 M), the highest mountain in Australasia, New Guinea successfully climbed in February, last year, the remaining four peaks to be attempted this year include Mt. McKinley (North America) in May, Mt. Elbrus (Europe) and Mt. Kilimanjaro (Africa) in August and Mt. Vinson Massif (Antartica) in December 2010.