Oldest man to scale Everest
七旬老人挑战珠峰 成为登顶最长者
Japanese climber Takao Arayama, 70, seen here on Mount Everest in a 17 May 2006 hand-out photo, told reporters he marked the achievement of being the oldest man to scale the mountain, by leaving a photograph of his dog on the summit.
A 70-year-old Japanese climber believed to be the oldest man to scale Everest marked the achievement by leaving a photograph of his dog on the summit.
Takao Arayama, aged 70 years and 225 days when he topped the world's highest mountain last Wednesday, beat the record held by a fellow countryman by just three days.
Arayama, who confessed to suffering headaches and breathing difficulties during the oxygen-aided ascent, said it was a wonderful feeling when he finally reached the top of the 8,848-metre mountain.
"I am very happy to be the oldest man to scale the world's highest peak," the fit-looking and ruddy-cheeked Arayama said on his return to Nepal's capital Kathmandu.
The previous record holder was Yuichiro Miura, a professional skier, who made it to the summit of Everest in May 2003 aged 70 years and 222 days, according to Guinness World Records.
"I stayed for 30 minutes on the top of the mountain and took some pictures and left a picture of my dog, Pacu," Arayama said.
"It was a wonderful feeling. Everything was below me, all the mountains and the world, when I reached the top," he said.
Arayama, a corporate management consultant from Kamakura, south of Tokyo, was part of an 11-person team that included six Nepalese Sherpas and five Japanese climbers.
He first climbed an 800-metre mountain near Tokyo at the age of 12 that inspired him to continue his obsession.
He has scaled 6,194-meter Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America, and tackled the Alps. He only started on Everest when aged in his 60s.
一位70岁的日本登山者登上珠穆朗玛峰，被认为是目前为止登上珠峰年龄最大的人，这位老人把他爱犬的照片留在了顶峰，作为他登上珠峰的证明。
这位名叫高雄荒山的老人于上周三——他70岁零225天的那一天，登上了世界最高峰，因为比之前登顶的本国同胞年长三天而创造了一个新的纪录。
荒山毫不隐瞒地承认，在登顶过程中虽然有吸氧设备，他还是感到了头疼和呼吸困难。 不过他又说，最终到达这座海拔达8848米的高山之顶时，感觉十分奇妙。
荒山老人面色红润，看起来很健康。在返回尼泊尔首都加满德都的途中，他说：“能成为登上世界最高峰的最长者，我感到很高兴。”
据《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》记载，之前的纪录保持者是一位名叫尤一郎三浦的专业滑雪者。他在2003年5月登上珠穆朗玛峰时的年龄为70岁零222天。
荒山说：“我在顶峰上停留了30分钟，拍了一些照片，还把我的狗狗Pacu的照片留在了那里。”
“那种感觉妙极了，我站在山顶时，看着群山与整个世界都在我的脚下。”
荒山老人来自位于东京以南的镰仑市，是一名企业管理顾问。他参加的珠峰登山队由11名队员组成，其中包括6名尼泊尔夏尔巴人和5名日本人。
12岁时，荒山第一次登上了东京附近一座海拔800米的山，这次经历激发了他对登山的浓厚兴趣。
他成功登上了北美最高峰--海拔6194米的麦金利山脉，还战胜了阿尔卑斯山。在60多岁时，他才开始尝试攀登珠峰。
(英语点津)
