71-year-old Japanese Man Climbs Mount Everest!

E365 -- Never say die. Especially around the old and frail - that's just rude. But be especially careful around Katsusuke Yanagisawa - he'll make you feel particularly foolish.

Yanagisawa, a former schoolteacher from Japan, did at the age of 71 what few people half his age could do - he summited the highest peak in the world, Mount Everest.

Predictably, he broke the world record for the oldest person to do so, but not by the margin you would expect. The previous record was set just a year ago, by another Japanese climber just one year younger. It must be something to do with the national diet or something.

Yanagisawa's feat is not the only one of distinction on the 8,850-metre peak. Other extrodinary characters have been inspired by the challenges that Everest presents. So far, listed amongst its conquerors are a blind person, a man with an artificial leg and a 16-year-old boy.

Which isn't to say that Everest isn't without danger. 202 people have died trying to best the beast.

So, kudos to Katsusuke Yanagisawa, the septuagenarian record-holder. He's pretty extreme for someone old enough to be your grandfather, eh? 

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