Super Septuagenarian: Oldest Man to Ever Climb Everest

May 29, 2007— -- A 71-year-old Japanese man hasbecome the world's oldest person to climb Mount Everest,topping a feat set by a compatriot last year

. Former school teacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa reached thesummit last Tuesday, a mountain tour group who organised hisclimb said on Tuesday. It said he climbed from the Tibetan sideof the Himalayan peak.

"I feel at ease. I was able to break the record thanks tofriends who supported me," Yanagisawa was quoted as saying byKyodo news agency.

His age would make him the oldest person to have climbedthe 8,850 metre (29,035 feet) peak, an official at the JapanMountaineering Association said.

The list of climbers who have conquered Everest include ablind person, a man with an artificial leg and the youngest, a16-year-old boy.

The previous record for the oldest climber was a70-year-old man from eastern Japan who reached the summit inMay last year.

Japanese are frequent climbers of Mount Everest. Nearly2,000 people have climbed the peak and at least 202 have diedtrying to do so.