The Cork mountaineer, Mr Pat Falvey, described how he felt like "an angel going to heaven" yesterday when he confirmed that he had climbed the sixth of the world's sevens highest summits. He reached the top of the 16,864ft peak, Mount Vinson, last Thursday with an international team of climbers from France, Denmark and the US.
Mr Falvey, who is sponsored by BOC Gases, is one mountain away from becoming the first Irishman to complete the seven summit challenge. His last mountain to climb is Kosciousku in Australia, which he will attempt in mid February. If successful, he will join an elite group of 38 mountaineers.
Mr Falvey rose to prominence when he became the second Irish mountaineer to reach the summit of Everest in 1995, two years after the firsts successful Irish a scent by a Belfast architect, Mr Dawson Stelfox, in May 1993.