tommy
05-22-2003, 03:59 PM
Japanese man, 70, becomes oldest Everest climber
Thursday, May 22, 2003 Posted: 10:31 AM EDT (1431 GMT)
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KATMANDU, Nepal (Reuters) -- A 70-year-old Japanese scaled Mount Everest on Thursday, a week before the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the peak, becoming the oldest person to climb the world's highest mountain, Nepal's Tourism Ministry said.
Yuichiro Miura, a professional skier and a high school headmaster from Sapporo in Japan, reached the 8,850 meter (29,035 foot) summit using the Southeast Ridge route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953.
Miura, a well-known adventurer in Japan who has in the past skied down the Himalayas, shattered the previous record set by another Japanese, Tomiyasu Ishikawa, who climbed Mount Everest two years ago at the age of 65.
"I have finally managed to stand on the summit of the Everest, the highest place on Earth. I want to thank everybody, including the Sherpas," said Miura, referring to local mountain guides.
A Nepal tourism ministry statement said Miura was among 31 people who reached the summit on Thursday. He was part of the "Miura Everest 2003 Expedition" and was accompanied by his son, Gota Miura, and seven others.
The ministry said four Nepali and three Indian soldiers as well as seven Sherpas of a joint Nepal-India army expedition also scaled the Everest summit.
The Nepal-India team was followed 25 minutes later by five Japanese and three Sherpa guides of the Tokyo University of Agriculture Alpine Club expedition.
All three teams used the same route.
Several hundred climbers are trying to scale Everest from the Nepali and Chinese sides this climbing season, which ends this month, as part of the anniversary celebrations.
New Zealander Hillary, now 83, will be the guest of honor at a series of official activities in the Nepali capital, Katmandu, next week that will also include hundreds of other successful climbers. Tenzing died in 1986.
Since Hillary and Tenzing reached the "roof of the world," about 1,200 people have followed them to the summit. A total of 175 have died on the slopes where many of the bodies remain.
Thursday, May 22, 2003 Posted: 10:31 AM EDT (1431 GMT)
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KATMANDU, Nepal (Reuters) -- A 70-year-old Japanese scaled Mount Everest on Thursday, a week before the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the peak, becoming the oldest person to climb the world's highest mountain, Nepal's Tourism Ministry said.
Yuichiro Miura, a professional skier and a high school headmaster from Sapporo in Japan, reached the 8,850 meter (29,035 foot) summit using the Southeast Ridge route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953.
Miura, a well-known adventurer in Japan who has in the past skied down the Himalayas, shattered the previous record set by another Japanese, Tomiyasu Ishikawa, who climbed Mount Everest two years ago at the age of 65.
"I have finally managed to stand on the summit of the Everest, the highest place on Earth. I want to thank everybody, including the Sherpas," said Miura, referring to local mountain guides.
A Nepal tourism ministry statement said Miura was among 31 people who reached the summit on Thursday. He was part of the "Miura Everest 2003 Expedition" and was accompanied by his son, Gota Miura, and seven others.
The ministry said four Nepali and three Indian soldiers as well as seven Sherpas of a joint Nepal-India army expedition also scaled the Everest summit.
The Nepal-India team was followed 25 minutes later by five Japanese and three Sherpa guides of the Tokyo University of Agriculture Alpine Club expedition.
All three teams used the same route.
Several hundred climbers are trying to scale Everest from the Nepali and Chinese sides this climbing season, which ends this month, as part of the anniversary celebrations.
New Zealander Hillary, now 83, will be the guest of honor at a series of official activities in the Nepali capital, Katmandu, next week that will also include hundreds of other successful climbers. Tenzing died in 1986.
Since Hillary and Tenzing reached the "roof of the world," about 1,200 people have followed them to the summit. A total of 175 have died on the slopes where many of the bodies remain.