73-year-old Japanese woman scales Mount Everest

Tamae Watanabe smashed own record by repeating her 2002 feat

A 2002 file photo of Tamae Watanabe (R) of Japan at a base camp on the foot of Mt. Everest in Nepal. Watanabe smashed her own record to become the oldest woman to scale the world's highest mountain.

A 73-year-old Japanese has made history by becoming the oldest woman to scale the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, topping a record, she herself set a decade ago.

Tamae Watanabe, set foot on top of the world on Saturday, reaching the Everest’s summit at 8,848 metre, from the tough northern side in Tibet along with another Japanese Norriyuki Muraguchi and three Sherpa guides, according to the Asian Trekking which organised the expedition.

Three other Sherpa guides who scaled the peak are Mingma Sherpa, Pharu Nunu Sherpa and Phurba Sherpa.

The official said that the team had set out for the summit yesterday evening and successfully scaled the summit at 7 a.m., local time, on Saturday, after a night long ascent.

Ms. Watanabe became the oldest woman to scale Everest when she climbed the peak in 2002 at the age of 63. Her record stood till she bettered it.

The oldest male climber to scale Everest is a Nepalese Min Bahadur Sherpa, who reached the top at the age of 77. He had climbed the Everest in 2007.

Like Ms. Watanabe, Min Bahadur too has announced his intentions to make it atop Everest again in 2012 at the age of 82.