85-year-old man aims to win back oldest Everest climber title

Nepali mountain climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, 85, who will attempt to climb Everest to become the oldest person to conquer the world's highest mountain, performs yoga at his house in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS)

Updated on: Apr 12, 2017 12:33 PM IST

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Nepali mountain climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, 85, who will attempt to climb Everest to become the oldest person to conquer the world's highest mountain, performs yoga at his house in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS)

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Min Bahadur Sherchan plans to climb the 8,850 metre (29,035 foot) peak next month during a window of favourable weather on the summit. (Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS)

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Nepalese climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, points to a picture to describe the trail to Mount Everest. The 85-year-old climber who was once the oldest person to scale the world’s highest mountain is heading back to Mount Everest in hopes of scaling the peak and regaining the title. Sherchan is aiming to scale the peak next month when there is window of favourable weather on the summit. (Niranjan Shrestha/AP)

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The grandfather of 17 and great-grandfather of six first scaled Everest in May 2008, when he was 76, but his record was broken by then 80-year-old Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura in 2013. (Niranjan Shrestha/AP)

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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 cancelled because an avalanche triggered by devastating earthquake swept the base camp, killing 19 people just a day before he reached the site. (Niranjan Shrestha/AP)

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Being born in the mountains, he has one big advantage over most climbers: He is used to the altitude. (Niranjan Shrestha/AP)

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High-altitude sickness can be fatal for people who are not acclimated to the thin air and low oxygen levels. He said he is worried only about the five kilograms (11 pounds) he gained in the last few months. (Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS)

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That stretch includes the dreaded Khumbu Icefall, where climbers use aluminum ladders and ropes to navigate around deep crevasses amid tall ice blocks. (Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS)

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Sherchan’s love of mountaineering began in 1960 when he was assigned by the Nepalese government as a liaison officer for the Swiss team climbing Mount Dhaulagiri. (Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS)

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He later became an apple farmer and constructed roads and dams before settling down to run hotels in Kathmandu. (Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS)

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He and his team of six guides and helpers leave for the mountain Sunday. His team leader, Shiva Bahadur Sapkota, has scaled Everest twice. He said that if he regains his record, he plans to campaign for world peace by travelling to conflict areas like Syria. (Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS)