South Asia News
Former Nepalese minister attempts to be oldest man atop Everest
Apr 19, 2011, 8:37 GMT
Kathmandu - An octogenarian former Nepalese minister began his quest Tuesday to become the oldest person to climb the highest mountain in the world.
Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, 82, left for the Everest base camp, to begin his attempt to summit the 8,848-metre peak.
The former foreign minister said he wanted to prove that it was possible for older people to achieve a feat mostly associated with physical strength.
The current record is held by Nepalese former soldier Min Bahadur Sherchan, who was 76 when he climbed the mountain in 2008.
Everest first opened to mountaineers in 1953. Hundreds have died attempting to scale the mountain, while more than 3,000 have made it to the top.
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