The allure of climbing Mount Everest

Sixty years ago, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, known as Qomolangma in China and Chomolungma in Tibet. Their bavery and resilience set an example for many other adventurers in the following decades. The challenge of scaling Everest still attracts thousands of people from all walks of life who want to push themselves to the limit.

Hong Kong-based mountaineer Paul Niel successfully reached the top of the 8,848-metre Everest last week. And just for good measure he then scaled the nearby Lhotse, which is the world's fourth tallest mountain at 8,516 metres.