A team of 22 Chinese surveyors and women mountaineers, working to remeasure the height of Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, left the 7, 028-meter-high camp Friday to head for a camp at higher elevation.

The team reached the camp Thursday and is expected to rest at another camp at 7,790 meters above sea level before hiking to the summit Sunday or Monday, said Zhang Jiangyuan, the leader of the group.

The team will remeasure Qomolangma, which, according to China's first measurement in 1975, is 8,848.13 meters above sea level.

It snowed in the Qomolangma area in early Friday morning, but the weather will not influence the advancement of the surveyors and mountaineers, Zhang said. The snow will act as a wind block.

The second group of 22 surveyors and mountaineers will set off from the base camp towards the 7,028-meter-high camp Friday afternoon. They are expected to reach the summit a day after the first group, Zhang said.

The ascent of the mountain, which straddles the border of China and Nepal, was originally scheduled for May 5. It has been repeatedly delayed because of poor weather. The peak has seen frequent heavy snows and strong winds since early May. Mountaineering experts say turbulent weather is rare in recent years.

The expedition is part of China's scientific research program on the mountain, which began in March.

Source: Xinhua