Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2017)
Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC April 17, 2017 At 85, Nepali aims to regain title of oldest Everest climber PEAKED INTEREST. Nepalese mountain climber Min Bahadur Sherchan does his morning yoga at his residence in Kathmandu, Nepal. 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 re- gaining the title. Sherchan is aiming to climb Everest next month when there is a window of favorable weather on the summit. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) By Binaj Gurubacharya The Associated Press ATHMANDU, Nepal — A Nepali who was once the oldest climber to scale Mount Everest is at- tempting to regain that title, at age 85, with hopes that the feat will help him spread a message of peace. Min Bahadur Sherchan plans to climb the 29,035-foot peak next month during a window of favorable 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,” 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. 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 K 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,” Sherchan said. He added that he has no respiratory problems and his blood pressure is normal. Being born in the mountains, he 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 he is 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. Depleted squads from Japan & South Korea fall short at WBC Continued from page 8 an Andrew McCutchen single for the game’s first run. Kikuchi made up for his error in the sixth inning by tying the game with a solo shot, and the score stayed knotted until the eighth when bad luck struck once again for Japan. With runners on second and third, Adam Jones hit a hard grounder to third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda, who misplayed the ball, allowing the runner on third to scamper home with the go-ahead run. Japan had its chances to respond, but came up empty, falling short of the final game by a single run. It comes as some consolation that the U.S. won the 2017 WBC final, blanking Puerto Rico 8-0. So Japan not only held the U.S. to its lowest run output of the tournament, it also gave the champs their closest victory. More importantly, the third-place finish highlighted the strength of Team Japan, who played without any of its top-flight MLB players or Ohtani. While future WBC tournaments may hold more disappoint- ments for Team Japan, that may be a sign of more top-notch Japanese talent, not less. And no fan of Asian sports could ask for more than that. That stretch includes the dreaded Khumbu Icefall, where climbers use aluminum ladders and ropes to navigate around deep crevasses amid tall ice blocks. 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. He later became an apple farmer and constructed roads and dams before settling down to run hotels in Kathmandu. He and his team of six guides and helpers includes team leader Shiva Bahadur Sapkota, who 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. “After I become the oldest Everest climber, people will listen to my campaign for world peace,” he said. LOOKING FOR AVAILABLE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS? Visit <www.asianreporter.com/ scholarships.htm>. Need a good doctor? CareOregon has thousands. yourwholehealth.com
