Climber denied Everest’s summit for the 5th time | CNN

Climber who lost fingers in Everest effort forced by conditions to stop new attempt

Kevin Conlon
By Kevin Conlon, CNN
2 minute read
Updated 5:32 AM EDT, Mon September 28, 2015
Japanese mountaineer Nobukazu Kuriki, 33, from Hokkaido, is preparing to make his fifth attempt to summit Mount Everest in Nepal in September, 2015.
Japanese mountaineer Nobukazu Kuriki, 33, from Hokkaido, is preparing to make his fifth attempt to summit Mount Everest in Nepal in September, 2015.
Nobukazu Kuriki
Kuriki clasps his hands, which were badly frostbitten in 2012 and required amputation of several fingers and a thumb, during his Broad Peak ascent on the border of Pakistan and China in 2014.
Kuriki clasps his hands, which were badly frostbitten in 2012 and required amputation of several fingers and a thumb, during his Broad Peak ascent on the border of Pakistan and China in 2014.
Nobukazu Kuriki
"Icefall doctors" are currently preparing the way for Kuriki's Everest ascent but warn his climb needs to be completed by early October. This image shows Kuriki climbing Nepal's Mount Annapurna solo in 2010.
"Icefall doctors" are currently preparing the way for Kuriki's Everest ascent but warn his climb needs to be completed by early October. This image shows Kuriki climbing Nepal's Mount Annapurna solo in 2010.
Nobukazu Kuriki
Kuriki could be the only climber to ascend Everest this year. He's the only one to have received a permit for the climb. The Nepali government closed Everest in April after an earthquake triggered avalanches that killed 19 people.
Kuriki could be the only climber to ascend Everest this year. He's the only one to have received a permit for the climb. The Nepali government closed Everest in April after an earthquake triggered avalanches that killed 19 people.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images
Kuriki will attempt to climb Everest without oxygen. It's a risky strategy. Without supplementary air, climbers battle fatigue and confusion which can lead to accidents. This image shows Kuriki during his Broad Peak ascent in 2014.
Kuriki will attempt to climb Everest without oxygen. It's a risky strategy. Without supplementary air, climbers battle fatigue and confusion which can lead to accidents. This image shows Kuriki during his Broad Peak ascent in 2014.
Nobukazu Kuriki
Look closely and you'll see Kuriki crossing a massive rock face on Broad Peak, which borders China and Pakistan, in 2014. He says his Everest attempt is "not for record or honor."
Look closely and you'll see Kuriki crossing a massive rock face on Broad Peak, which borders China and Pakistan, in 2014. He says his Everest attempt is "not for record or honor."
Nobukazu Kuriki
"By climbing and webcasting from Everest, I want to tell people that we can try together and share our adventures in life so they can keep trying for their dream," Kuriki told CNN. Kuriki is seen here during his Broad Peak expedition in 2014.
"By climbing and webcasting from Everest, I want to tell people that we can try together and share our adventures in life so they can keep trying for their dream," Kuriki told CNN. Kuriki is seen here during his Broad Peak expedition in 2014.
Nobukazu Kuriki
Solo climber Nobukazu Kuriki ready to challenge Everest for the fifth time

Story highlights

Disabled climber fails on fifth attempt to climb Mt. Everest

It was the first Everest climb since 19 died in an avalanche during April earthquake

CNN  — 

Mount Everest’s summit will once again remain elusive for Nobukazu Kuriki, the tenacious Japanese climber who was nearly a month into his fifth attempt to scale the world’s highest mountain when perilous conditions on Saturday forced him to abandon his latest quest.

“I realized if I kept going, I wouldn’t be able to come back alive,” the 33-year-old Kuriki, who lost nine fingers to frostbite in a 2012 Everest attempt, posted on Facebook. “So I decided to descend.”

Kuriki, who was making the last push from the final camp, said that “it took too much time to move in deep deep snow.”

Challenge upon challenge

With a success rate of just 29%, and when one in 10 people die trying to do it, ascending the 29,035 feet to reach the summit of Mount Everest is a monumentally difficult task under the best of circumstances.

Kuriki, however, had to cope with additional challenges that made a difficult task a seemingly impossible one. Despite the loss of his fingers, he made this latest climb by himself, and without oxygen.

It was also the the first attempt anyone has made since a devastating April 25 earthquake killed 19 people and injured 61 at the mountain’s base camp, the deadliest accident in Everest’s history.

The Nepalese government closed Everest for the remainder of the spring climbing season after the earthquake, marking the first time in more than four decades that no one made it to the top of the mountain.

By making this latest attempt in the colder months of autumn, Kuriki was making it all the more challenging.

Kuriki seems to thrive off challenges, however, and hopes to inspire others with his extraordinary perseverance

“I believe everybody in the world has his or her own mountain in life,” he told CNN on the eve of his climb. “Many people might stop climbing or challenging themselves because others judge them negatively or it seems tough.’

“By climbing and webcasting from Everest, I want to tell people that we can try together and share our adventures in life so they can keep trying for their dream.”

CNN’s Hilary Whiteman and Ingrid Piper contributed to this report