Two of the four Maltese mountaineers attempting to climb the highest peak in the Americas have abandoned the challenge due to severe blisters. David and Mark Gladwish said via Facebook on Boxing Day that they would not be continuing the climb in the Argentinian Andes.

“It is with great regret that Mark and I have had to descend from Camp 1, ending our climb due to severe foot blistering which has prevented us from walking any further,” David wrote.

Giovanni Camilleri and Josef Grech have continued and hope to reach the summit of the 6,962-metre Aconcagua around Wednesday.

The Gladwishes will be following their teammates’ progress on the radio from base camp. “We are touched and immensely grateful for all your support and look forward to bringing you more news from the boys as they crawl higher up the mountain,” David wrote.

Every day the climbers have been sending a satellite signal with their new location to their loved ones when they reach camp. Mr Camilleri and Mr Grech were expected to reach Camp 3 yesterday and should begin their final push for the summit today.

The temperature over the next few days is expected to range between -14°C and -16°C, with strong winds.

Preparations for the arduous climb have been going on for the past year.

The team from the Mountaineering Section of the Malta Climbing Club has followed a rigorous fitness training programme and planned the logistics down to the smallest detail. A fifth team member, Fabrizio Valente, is providing ground logistics support.

Although much of their training has taken place in Malta, the climbers are no strangers to arduous expeditions.

Collectively, they have successfully climbed Mt Etna, Sicily (3,329 metres), Mt Toubkal, Morocco (4,167 metres) and Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (5,895 metres).