A Japanese climber will be the first to attempt to scale Mount Everest since a massive earthquake in April triggered avalanches that killed 18 climbers, shutting an industry that supports thousands of people across Nepal.
Nobukazu Kuriki, 33, of Tokyo will make a solo attempt on the 8,850-meter-high summit along the normal southeast ridge route pioneered by Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, the Nepal government said Sunday.
"I have chosen to come now to help Nepal, which is in troubles because of the earthquake," Kuriki told reporters.