A team of 13 students and a teacher from the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) are hoping to scale new heights to celebrate the institution's 50th anniversary this year. They want to hoist the HKBU flag on top of the snowy Mount Kyizi in Tibet next month as a tribute to the university. Physical education lecturer Sammy Liu and 13 students will take part in the expedition, organised by the HKBU's Student Union Mountaineering Association. They have invited five to six Tibetan mountaineering guides to join the gruelling journey. The HKBU team will leave for Tibet on May 21 and start the climb five days later from a base camp about 4,000 metres above sea level. They expect to reach the summit of Mount Kyizi - which is more than 6,000 metres above sea level - within three days. They will return home on June 2. The association has been preparing for the trip since September last year. The students are anticipating a memorable moment - taking a photo on top of the mountain after hoisting the HKBU flag. 'It will be a challenging trip. We hope to show that HKBU students are persevering and courageous,' said team director Li Gen. Acute mountain sickness (AMC), caused by the lack of oxygen at high altitudes, will pose a major threat to the climbers. AMC can cause breathing difficulties, headaches and dizziness. In severe cases, people may pass out and die within hours. 'It's inevitable that we will develop some [AMC] symptoms as we will be hiking several thousand metres above sea level. We will need to adapt to the environment,' said Li, 21, a mainland student at HKBU. 'We will have to hike at a slow and steady pace. And we will bring along small oxygen tanks for emergency use. The mountain is about 100 kilometres away from Lhasa [the capital of Tibet], where there's a hospital in case if something happens.' Team leader Cheung Wai-yin, 20, said he was excited about the challenge, but also worried about the hikers' safety. 'We've done a lot to prepare for the trip. 'For example, we have invited an expert to give us a talk on AMC this Saturday. 'And we've been doing physical training, like running and hopping, once or twice a week. We've also gone hiking every month,' said Cheung, a physical education associate degree student. 'We want to make sure that we'll be strong enough to complete the challenge.' The expedition includes two overseas exchange students - Theodor Hautzendorfer from Austria and Christian Hertel from Germany. 'I'm happy that I can join the hike as well as celebrate the university's anniversary,' said Hautzendorfer, 21. 'I like the university. It's very different from my university in Austria. Students get much more attention here. The university is small and many students know each other and I've made many good friends. I can't wait to reach the [summit] with them!' To find out more about the expedition, visit www.hkbu.edu.hk/ sa/50th/mount.htm
