Who says climbing Mt. Everest was hard? Not Yuichiro Miura, that’s for sure.
In this article in the Agence France-Presse, the 75-year-old Miura plans to climb the lofty mountain yet another time. In 1970 he was the first person to ski down the South Col of the mountain. In 2003 he was the oldest person at the time to reach the summit. Now, after undergoing two heart surgeries, he plans on doing it again.
But don’t make assumptions based on age, Miura comes from a long line of risk-taking senior citizens:
His father Keizo Miura made headlines in February 2003 when he skied down a run in the renowned Vallee Blanche area of Mont Blanc, western Europe’s tallest mountain, at age 99.
Keizo marked his 70th birthday by skiing down a Himalayan glacier, his 77th birthday descending Kenya’s Mount Kilimanjaro, and his 88th birthday by completing a 100-kilometre cross-country traverse of the European Alps.
Just in case you don’t believe Miura’s feats, here’s an incredible documentary on his skiing exploits:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piNRRg7WuG8&hl=en]