The record for the oldest person to ever summit Mt. Everest was broken this past weekend. Twice! On Sunday, CNN reported that 76 year-old Min Bahadur Sherchan topped out on the mountain early that morning along with other members of his team and several guides. Sherchan is a Sherpa, native to Nepal, and is just 25 days shy of his 77th birthday.
Later that day Explorers Web updated their site with the news that 75 year-old Yuichiro Miura also reached the summit, setting a new mark for the oldest non-Sherpa to reach the top of the world’s highest peak. This is Miura’s second successful Everest summit, having climbed the mountain back in 2003 at the young age of 70. At that time he also skied down the Lhotse Face.
The previous record for the oldest person to summit was held by Japanese climber Katsusuke Yanagisawa who set the mark last year at the age of 71.
The photo with his posting comes courtesy of ExWeb and shows the triumphant Sherchan (left) and Muira (right).
Famed mountaineer Conrad Anker, who is part of the PQ climbing team, has joined forces with The Conservation Alliance and Timex Expedition to launch the Return To The Outdoors initiative which is designed to inspire people to pursue outdoor adventures and reconnect with nature.
The Return To The Outdoors website encourages us all to share our stories of what draws us to go outside and explore the world around us. By writing about, or video taping, your own adventures you can win some cool gear and possibly inspire others to venture outside as well. Conrad shares what inspires him in the video below.
The Chinese Olympic Torch Team on Everest finally reached their goal today, standing on top of the highest peak in the world, with the Olympic Torch burning brightly. The team’s lone female member, a Tibetan woman, carried the torch to the actual summit, where the rest of her teammates celebrated, unfurling Chinese and Olympic flags.
The climb was not without controversy however, as the entire North Side of the mountain, was shut down to all other teams this season, and the South Side of Everest, which falls in Nepal, had severe restrictions placed on it until after the Chinese Team completed their goal. Today those restrictions have been lifted and the South Side teams have begun their own summit bids.
The following video from Reuters shows the triumphant Chinese on Everest as they light the specially designed Torch and hold it aloft.
Here’s a video that I came across a week or so back and forgot about, but a friend was kind enough to remind me of it earlier today. It’s a first person perspective of a couple of hikers exploring the El Camino del Rey in Spain. The name means “The King’s Pathway”, and the trail offers access to a popular climbing location, but just getting there is part of the adventure, as you’ll see.
John Wilton-Davies has announced his intentions to go solo, and unsupported, to the South Pole later this year. Of course there always a number of explorers each year that make that expedition, and a few even go solo and unsupported as well. However, once John reaches the South Pole, he’s only halfway to his destination!
That’s right, he’s not only going to the Pole, but he’ll also turn around and return to Hercules Inlet where he began. Solo and unsupported the whole way. It what is being called the Last Great Challenge, John hopes to become the first man to ever accomplish this amazing feat. He predicts that it will take approximately 77 days to make the historic round trip journey on skis, pulling his sledge behind him.
Of course, my personal favorite section is his gear list which has a complete run down of all the equipment he plans on taking with him. When looking this over, keep in mind that he’ll be pulling it all behind him on a sledge that will be 2 1/2 times his own body weight. He’ll also need to average roughly 20 miles per day, through some of the most in hospitable terrain on the planet, in order to stick to his schedule. Piece of cake!
You may remember John from his solo and unsupported 2006 expedition to the South Pole. Back then he reached 88.5º S before running out supplies and time. He truly gave it everything he could, and came up just a bit short, but clearly he learned a lot, and feels he has unfinished business at the bottom of the world, and he’s going back with a vengeance.
Good luck John! We’ll be following your adventure and rooting for you come November.
The Wend Blog, official blog for Wend Magazine posted this amazing video clip of snowboarder Terje Haakenson making the first descent of Peak 7601 in Alaska. Terje is delivered to the summit via a helicopter and then rides a near vertical face down the side of the mountain. It’s a crazy and thrilling ride to be sure. I’d have probably made it down about three meters while still on my board. The rest of the “first descent” would be on my face. Enjoy!
Primal Quest enthusiasts receive a 20% discount on all MyTopo map orders! Click here to take advantage of this generous offer from our friends at MyTopo!
Visit Our Partner
Want a Piece of the Primal Quest Action?
PQ is looking for investors interested in growing “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition” and the Primal Quest Sprint Series.
If you’re interested in learning more about investment opportunities, contact Don Mann
Random PQ-Related Quotes
"Congratulations on a fantastic event. You had me glued to the coverage all week – I dedicated my desktop computer to watching the SPOT tracking, the blog, the photo gallery and Checkpoint Zero’s blog. But kudos on great coverage, a great course, great weather (!), and a great shot in the arm for the sport."
