By JACK CASTAÑO III

BASCO, Batanes – The 11-man Mt. Everest team arrives here this morning to share their experiences in mountain climbing and outdoor skills.

The team is composed of Erwin "Pastor" Emata who, in 2006, was the second Filipino to reach the summit of Mt. Everest at 29,035 feet.

Leo Oracion, the first Filipino to reach the world’s highest peak, begged off due to previous commitments.

Joining Emata are Coast Guard personnel Noelle Wen­ceslao, Carina Dayondon and Janet Belarmino-Sardena, who last year became the first ASEAN women to climb Mt. Everest.

The three were also the first women in the world to reach the Everest summit from Tibet on the north side and go down in Nepal on the south side.

Five members of the Philippine Airlines Mountaineering Club are joining them here.

Also with them are Dr. Ed Esguerra, the team’s physician, and photographer Fred Jamili who will record the training.

The team will conduct a two-day Outdoor Skills Training Program on the basics of mountaineering for selected Boy Scouts, mountain trekking tour guides and the waterworks and engineering personnel of the provincial government tasked to maintain the water system of this capital town from the slopes of Mt. Iraya.

Tomorrow, all participants will be taught basic skills in mountain and rock climbing, orienteering, hiking, conservation climb and rappeling.

The training will be capped on Saturday with an actual climb of Mt. Iraya with an elevation of 2,936 feet. Certificates of completion will be awarded to the participants.

The Mt. Everest team’s visit to this tourist destination was upon the invitation of the Boy Scouts’ Batanes Council.