Secrecy cloaks Olympic torch's Everest climb

BEIJING -- Hoisting the Olympic torch up Mount Everest could happen any day, but the task is shrouded by high security, even higher altitude and little information.

Chinese climbers are waiting for good weather before carrying the torch up the world's highest mountain for the most ambitious leg of the five-continent torch relay before the Games Aug. 8-24 in Beijing.

"It's snowing heavily here. I can't even see Mount Qomolangma," the Chinese name for Everest, said Shao Shiwei, spokesman for Beijing's Olympic organizers.

"The climb has already started, as the team is doing preparatory work, such as repairing paths between the camps and moving materials. But we are all waiting for the China Mountaineering Association to say when the final ascent will begin," Shao said.

Whenever the weather breaks, the torch relay -- which reached mainland China on Sunday -- will pause while the climbers ...