Japanese climber attempts fifth climb of Mount Everest

September 27, 2015- A Japanese mountaineer who had previously lost nine fingers to frostbite has abandoned his attempt to climb Mount Everest.

“I decide to descend”, he posted on his official Facebook page early Sunday.

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I realized if I kept going, I wouldn’t be able to come back alive, so I decided to descend.”

The 33-year-old took the decision after attempting a final push to reach the 8,848 meters summit. The Nepalese climbing industry suffered a major setback on the 25 April as the quake destroyed the popular Langtrang trekking route.

Latest contact suggests Mr Kuriki has reached the South Col, where he will rest before attempting to finish his epic quest later today, the BBC reported.

“Thank you so much for all your support”. He has been forced to turn back four times with the summit in sight due to risky conditions, he told National Geographic in July. He said he prefers to make his unsafe climbs alone and with minimal gear. “This is the purest form of climbing and it is worth the extra danger”, he said.

Mr Kuriki, who arrived in Nepal more than a month ago to begin acclimatising, is so far the only person scheduled to climb Everest during the challenging autumn season. “This is only natural before attempting the challenge of climbing Everest, particularly after the quake and at this time of year”.

Kuriki is the first person to attempt the climb since devastating earthquakes in April and May this year, which killed 9,000 people in Nepal, and 18 people at Everest’s base camp.

It will be Nobukazu Kuriki’s fifth attempt to reach the summit of the world’s tallest peak and he’s convinced that this time he will celebrate his success.

“Everest has seen tragedies in the last two years, and I want to help Nepal revive its tourism”, he said.