An 80-year-old former athlete from Mitcham believes he is the oldest person to have climbed 17,000ft through a Himalayan pass alone.

Clifford Taylor, of Manor Road, Mitcham, celebrated his 80th birthday during his descent from Thorong La pass, which stands at 5,416m – the highest point of the Annapurna mountain range in Nepal.

At 17,000ft, the oxygen levels at the pass are just 15 per cent and, days before Mr Clifford began his 22-day trek, a man died attempting the climb – his body brought down the mountain by horse.

Setting off alone, Mr Clifford, an experienced rock climber and former athlete who has competed in British and international competitions, made his first strides to the top of the Annapurna range by hitching a ride on the roof of a passing jeep.

He said: “I was sat on the top clinging on for dear life.

“You look down and there’s a 1,000-foot drop.

“I went so far on the top of a jeep and then I had to get off and start walking.”

It took 17 days for Mr Taylor to reach the top of the pass tackling difficult terrain and biting cold along the way.

He said: “Sometimes it was a broad path and other times it was a bit of a scramble so it was quite difficult.”

After a ginger tea at the top, Mr Clifford, who works as a security guard at Victoria station in London, began the difficult descent alone – and admitted he was lucky to escape the mountain without serious injury.

He said: “I fell down about 15 times and it took all my effort to get up again.

“I just kept collapsing in the snow.

“There were places I could have slipped and it would have been a 1,000 foot drop – it was just too scary.

“The best thing was the people I met and the total experience of seeing the big convoys of gasoline and salt travelling up there, the yaks standing in the river, goats rushing through the towns and people ploughing the fields with oxen.

“The whole experience was fantastic. I was very pleased I did it but I won’t do it again.”

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