A group of students from Oxford University will be aiming high later this month when they take part in a gruelling mountaineering expedition to Argentina.
A 20-strong team, made up of members of the University Officer Training Corps (UOTC), will make an attempt on the 6,957-metre peak of Mount Aconcagua as part of an exercise called Blue Penitente.
The peak is the highest point on the American continent.
It ranks alongside Everest and Kilimanjaro as one of the world's five highest continental summits.
The team of students from Oxford will be selected during a tough series of tests run over the weekend.
The hopefuls will face physical tests and interviews as well as a trial on the Brookes University indoor climbing wall.
Capt Al Dinmore, from the UOTC, said that even though the expedition was not scheduled until 2003, it was important to start the selection and training as soon as possible.
There would also be a week training in the Austrian Alps during March.
"Many of the students will have no previous experience of climbing, but we have five experienced military instructors to help them develop their skills," Capt Dinmore added.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article