Posted by: rmxyz May 25, 2008
76-year-old breaks Everest record
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Seems like this is record breaking season for Everest mountaineers. I got this news from CNN. I am surprised that not a single nepali newspaper published this..

76-year-old breaks Everest record 

  • Story Highlights
  • KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) -- A 76-year-old Nepalese man reached the summit of Mount Everest on Sunday and became the oldest person to climb the world's highest mountain, a tourism official said.

    Min Bahadur Sherchan reached the 8,848-meter summit early in the morning with his climbing guides, said a Nepal Tourism Ministry official, Ramesh Chetri.

    Sherchan was just 25 days away from his 77th birthday, Chetri said.

    He beat the record set last year by Japanese climber Katsusuke Yanagisawa, who scaled the peak at age 71. Sherchan was in good health and was descending from the summit, Chetri said.

    The former soldier climbed smaller mountains before Everest and has been an active sportsman, Chetri said.

    He said about a dozen climbers scaled Everest on Sunday following one of the busiest weeks in the mountain's climbing season.

    A veteran Sherpa guide scaled Everest on Thursday for a record 18th time. Appa, who like most Sherpas goes by only one name, reached the summit along with several colleagues. He was among more than 80 climbers to reach the summit that day -- the largest number ever in a single day from the Nepalese side of the peak.

    Mountaineers were able to resume Everest climbs on May 9 after the Nepalese government lifted a temporary ban ordered to prevent protests against China's rule in Tibet during an ascent by Chinese climbers carrying the Olympic torch.

    The Chinese torch team scaled the summit on May 8 -- from the northern Tibetan side of Everest -- and Nepal lifted the ban a day later.

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