Everest: Eighty-five-year-old man on mission to regain title as oldest person to scale mountain

A Nepalese man who was once the oldest climber to scale Mount Everest is attempting to regain that title, at age 85, with the hope that the feat will help him spread a message of peace.

Min Bahadur Sherchan plans to climb the 8,850-metre peak next month during a window of favourable weather on the summit.

"I want to be the oldest person to scale Everest again, to be an inspiration for humankind, a boost for the elderly people and an encouragement for youths," Mr Sherchan said at his home in Kathmandu.

"It will be a message for everyone that age is no obstacle to achieving their dreams."

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.

Mr 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 a devastating earthquake swept the base camp, killing 19 people just a day before he reached the site.

"I am confident that I will succeed this time. I have no problems that could stop me from climbing Everest and the only problem could be weather," Mr Sherchan said.

He added that he had no respiratory problems and his blood pressure was normal.

Being born in the mountains, Mr Sherchan has one big advantage over most climbers: he is used to the altitude.

High-altitude sickness can be fatal for people who are not acclimated to the thin air and low oxygen levels.

He said that if he regained his record, he planned to campaign for world peace by traveling to conflict areas like Syria.

"After I become the oldest Everest climber, people will listen to my campaign for world peace," he said.

Vocabularies: 

Nepalese:     n. 尼泊尔人

Scale:           n. 比例；刻度；vi. 衡量；攀登 vt. 测量

Everest:        n. 珠穆朗玛峰（世界最高峰）

feat:             n. 功绩，壮举 adj. 合适的；灵巧的

Obstacle:     n. 障碍，干扰；妨害物

Avalanche:   n. 雪崩 vt. 雪崩

Respiratory: adj. 呼吸的

Acclimate:    vi. 服水土；适应新环境 vt. 使适应