The Singapore-Latin American Everest expedition 2001, was launched by the President of Singapore, S. R. Nathan, on Wednesday, March 22, 2000 at the Istana.

A team of 4 Singapore climbers, lead by David Lim - the expedition leader of the first Singapore Everest expedition, will combine force with climbers from Latin American countries (currently, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil) will attempt to climb Mt Everest from the North Face, Tibet.

This route, known also as the Mallory route (named after the famed British pre-war climber) is technically harder and more complex than the route taken by the first Everest expedition. It is the second most commonly attempted route on Everest. Its success rate is rated at 20%, compared with 50% on the south face.

The expedition will leave for Everest in March 2001, with possible summit attempts made by late May. It will return to Singapore in June next year.

The Ambassador of Argentina, His Excellency Antonio Seward and His Excellency Paula Pinheiro, Ambassador of Brazil, were also present at the launch.

The expedition hopes to expand the sporting and cultural links with the nations in Latin America by combining Singapore and Latin American climbers in this first of its kind event.

HE Antonio Seward ( left ) Ambassador of Argentina, and HE Paula Pinheiro ( centre ) Ambassador of Brazil with David Lim at the Launch of the Expedition.