The best season for climbing the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas is approaching, and 82-year-old Nepalese mountaineer Min Bahadur Sherchan is busy preparing to climb Mount Everest once more, aiming to break his own world record set five years ago.
On May 25, 2008, then 76 years and 340 days old, Sherchan successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest from the southern slope and displayed a banner reading "World Peace" at the top. A little over a year later, the Guinness World Records recognized him as the oldest person to have summited Everest, and his record still stands today.
In a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency at his residence, Sherchan said, "I am climbing Mount Everest for the survival of the mountains, world peace, and the well-being of humanity."
Among the hundreds of climbers who will attempt to scale Everest this spring, there is 80-year-old Japanese mountaineering veteran Yuichiro Miura, who climbed Everest the day after Sherchan’s summit. As a result, many suspect these two octogenarians are gearing up for a showdown to reclaim the world record. Sherchan, however, dismisses the idea.
"I don’t have any intention of competing with him in my heart, nor do I worry about others breaking my record. If I fail this year, I can try again next year."
Sherchan admitted that he is not a professional mountaineer. Before climbing Everest in 2008, he had only scaled a mountain in Russia that was just over 6,000 meters high. To this day, he is not particularly skilled at wearing climbing gear or using various mountaineering equipment. It was through strong willpower, assistance from others, and seven failed attempts that he finally succeeded in reaching the top of the world.
"Doing something well is not easy—you must make sacrifices and endure hardships. But if we stick to what we believe in and keep trying, we will eventually achieve our goal."
In Sherchan’s view, the most dangerous things about climbing Everest do not come from nature but from the climbers themselves. "If climbers worry about accidents or dwell on unnecessary thoughts, they can’t focus their minds and will easily fail."
To maintain his physical strength, Sherchan exercises daily, doing push-ups and pull-ups, and carries a 50-jin (about 25 kg) sandbag up and down between the first and fourth floors. After watching his training demonstration, the reporter praised the elderly man, who is about 1.6 meters tall, saying he could live to 100. Sherchan responded seriously that the point is not how long he himself can live, but how much human lifespan can be extended.
"People all know how to live longer, but they are careless—bad habits like drinking, smoking, and gambling are hard to give up. If we harbor too much negative emotion and constantly quarrel with others, our health will be affected and our lifespan shortened. So, we must maintain inner peace."
To support Sherchan’s expedition, the Nepalese Ministry of Finance has preliminarily decided to grant him 1 million Nepalese rupees (approximately 700,000 RMB). Sherchan stated that he had initially hoped for 2.5 million rupees.
"This May 29 marks the 60th anniversary of the first human ascent of Everest. This climb is not just about me; the first person, the fastest, and the person with the most summits on Everest are all Nepalese. The Nepalese government should provide support for these brave individuals," he said.