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Nepali man dies trying to reclaim Everest record
KATHMANDU, Nepal — An 85-year-old man from Nepal died Saturday while attempting to scale Mount Everest to regain his title as the oldest person to climb the world’s highest peak, officials said.
Min Bahadur Sherchan died at the Everest base camp Saturday evening , but the cause of death was not clear, said Dinesh Bhattarai, chief of Nepal’s Tourism Department.
Mountaineering official Gyanendra Shrestha, who is at the base camp, said the cause was likely cardiac arrest, but he could not elaborate due to a poor telephone connection.
Sherchan, a grandfather of 17 and great-grandfather of six, first scaled Everest in May 2008 when he was 76, becoming the oldest climber to reach the top. His record was broken in 2013 by 80-year-old Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura.
Sherchan’s attempt to climb Everest in 2013 was cut short because of financial problems and delays in getting the climbing permit. Another try in 2015 was canceled because an avalanche swept the base camp, killing 19 people a day before he reached the site.
“I am confident that I will succeed this time,” he said. “I have no problems that could stop me from climbing Everest and the only problem could be weather.”
Before leaving for the mountain last month, he said that once he completed the climb and became famous, he intended to travel to conflict areas to spread a message of peace. “It will be a message for everyone that age is no obstacle to achieving their dreams.”
Sherchan had trained for months before the attempt, saying he did not suffer from any respiratory problems and his blood pressure was normal. He said he was worried only about the 11 pounds he gained in the last few months.
“I am not scared of climbing, but the only part I fear is the part between base camp and Camp 1, which is very dangerous,” Sherchan said.
Having been born in the mountains, he said he had did not have any problems with high altitude or the low levels of oxygen there.
Sherchan’s love of mountaineering began in 1960 when he was assigned by Nepal to be a liaison officer for the Swiss team climbing Mount Dhaulagiri.