The climbers selected to bear the Olympic flame on the world’s highest mountain, have reached their destination.

The ascent of Everest’s 8,848 meters (29,030 feet) took several hours and was rather enjoyable due to the very good climbing conditions of low winds and clear sky.

The team, composed of 19 members, both Tibetans and Chinese, wore red padded anoraks stitched with the Beijing Olympic logo. As soon as they reached the top, they waved Chinese and Olympic flags while cheering: "Beijing welcomes you!" and "One World, One Dream," which is the competition’s official slogan.

"We have lit this torch on the top of the world for harmony and peace," said one of the mountaineers according to BBC News.
Plans for the ascent were checked and double-checked in order to avoid protests from the pro-Tibet activists. Both China and Nepal agreed to seal off their entrances to the mountain to make sure that only authorized people will have access in the area.

Over the past month, the Olympic torch has visited many countries in its mission to announce this summer’s global athletic event. Unfortunately, the visits attracted many protests from the pro-Tibet militants and supporters. Apart from the peaceful demonstrations, there have also been some violent encounters between police officials and the demonstrators. In cities such as Paris and London, protesters almost managed to steal the torch and many arrests were made by the local authorities. 
 
The torch and the Olympic officials will visit every region and province of China and will return to Beijing two days before the event’s opening ceremony.