300 climbers head to Tibet

Nearly 300 mountaineers from different parts of the world will try to scale mountains in Tibet this autumn, according to the China Tibet Mountaineering Association.

A total of 254 foreign mountaineers from Nepal, Austria, the US, Britain, Spain, France, South Korea and other countries would try to ascend the mountains, Xinhua reported.

The majority of them will attempt Mount Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world at 8,201 metres above sea level, and Mount Shishapangma, the 14th highest mountain at 8,012 metres above sea level.

The association said more than 200 foreign climbers have already arrived and are making preparations for the climb.

Also, 32 mountaineers from China will also arrive. They will try to climb Mount Cho Oyu or Mount Noijin Kangsang, which is 7,206 metres above sea level.

Tibet is home to five mountains higher than 8,000 metres and more than 70 higher than 7,000 metres, let alone the thousands of peaks over 6,000 metres. The region has unique resources for mountaineering.