By Anil Giri
Contributing Writer
KATHMANDU ― Min Bhadur Serchan, 78, who carried the flags of South Korea and Nepal, finally gained official recognition from Guinness World Records as the oldest climber to reach the 8,848 meter peak of Mt. Everest.
A nearly decade-old struggle finally resulted in sweet victory for Sherchan after Guinness certified him as the oldest climber to conquer Everest. He beat the previous record held by 75-year-old Yuichiro Miura from Japan.
He expressed special appreciation for South Korea for helping him achieve the feat. Climbing Mt. Everest is not an easy task for many reasons. Physical conditions, the harsh climate and finances are always sources of concern for an Everest expedition.
``I got help from South Korea and the people there who love me. They helped me raise the $50,000 needed for the ascent," the veteran mountaineer said.
But to his shock, his fellow climber, 75-year-old Japanese Yuichiro Miura, who reached the top two days after him, was the one to gain official recognition from Guinness, as Sherchan did not send all the necessary documents to the organization.
``Later I travelled to London and claimed my record," he said. However, the recognition would not have been possible without help from South Korea and a Nepalese NGO.
The NGO leader went to London to get the official recognition and in August, after all the necessary documents had been submitted, endorsed by Nepal's Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Guinness authorities updated the record, handing over the certificate and officially making Sherchan the oldest man to have accomplished the feat.
"The oldest man to climb Mt Everest is Sherchan, who reached the summit on 25 May in 2008 at the age of 76 years and 340 days," according to the Guinness certificate.
The new hero is currently planning another challenging mission. "I was confident I would ascend Mt Everest," Sherchan said. "I did it for a noble cause ― world peace. Now I want to accomplish other missions."
The man, who is from the remote Myagdi district of Nepal, wants to create homes for seniors and orphans, as well as a "human temple" where intellectuals from Nepal and abroad can come to promote global friendship. His most foremost aim, he says, is to save the Earth.
He also has a dream to climb Everest again at the age of 84.
"I thought this record should belong to a Nepali," he said. "After all, Nepali sherpas hold the records for the youngest to climb Everest, the fastest to climb it, the most times it has been climbed, and for spending the longest time on top of it."
Sherchan was allowed to make the climb by the Nepalese government on the condition that he did not lead the expedition. He found an experienced mountain guide to lead him but on the eve of the climb, the guide came down with jaundice.
Another guide was found but it was too late to get a permit. "The government officers gathered at the mountain and decided to overlook this requirement and allowed us to climb," said Sherchan.
The climb itself went as planned and on May 25 in 2008, at the age of 76 years and 340 days, Sherchan became the oldest man to climb Everest.
"At that moment I felt that I was taller than the mountain," said the former hotelier, road builder and apple farmer, who has the greatest of stories to tell his 17 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.