The Man Who Decided To Ski Down Mount Everest

In 1970 Japanese Daredevil Yuichiro Miura decided his world speed record (107mph) he'd set while downhill skiing wasn't a big enough accolade since his record was broken the very next day. Miura needed a bigger challenge to satisfy himself, that's when he decided not to climb Mount Everest, but to ski down. 

Climbing Mount Everest is a remarkable accomplishment. BUT, the difference between climbing it, and going up with a group of Sherpas is ASTOUNDING. 

It's like saying, listening to an audiobook is the same as actually reading a book. 

You were there existing and listening, but in reality, you did none of the work. Muira wasn't necessarily after credit for climbing the mountain, but he could have at least done something at base camp instead of JUST calisthenics in the itchiest looking sweater of all time. 

It took a village to carry all the supplies and equipment up the mountain for Muira's attempt.  These are the people who deserve all the credit; the reconnaissance teams of Sherpas, and Japanese climbers who would go out ahead and assemble bridges by rigging nylon ropes and step ladders so our daredevil (in the pic below) can cross over deep ice crevasses with relative ease. 

By the time the group reached the summit, there wasn't much to celebrate. 6 Sherpas had died, monsoon weather was moving towards the mountain, the lack oxygen at that altitude making every task a chore, and they still had to attempt to ski down Everest.

Yuichiro Miura reached 26,000 feet where he found a side of the mountain that was a casual 40-45 degrees steep and consisting of 90% ice. Even with a parachute to help slow down, seconds after take-off, Miura would be clocked going well over 100 mph. After making it more than a mile, he loses control and falls until some cushy rocks break his momentum enough so he can stop himself. The results of Yuichiro Miura's ski run … 

Skied: 6,600 ft  (1.25 miles)

Fell: 1,300 ft   (0.25 miles)

Stopped: 250 ft from the edge of a crevasse  (nowhere close to a mile)

Originally Miura wanted to ski 8,000 ft down the mountain. He fell short of his goal but was lucky to walk away with his life.

Since skiing down Everest, Yuichro Miura has set the world record for being the oldest man to reach the summit, TWICE. Once in 2003 at age 70, and again a decade later in 2013 at the age of 80.