KATHMANDU - Nepal's oldest Qomolongma climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, 81, said on Sunday that despite failure this year, he would attempt next year to break the world record of the oldest climber set by a Japanese this season.  

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Sherchan said his obsession with the tallest peak on earth (8,848 m), which also known as Mount Everest in the West, is not over yet and that some technicalities forced him to abandon his bid this time.

"You cannot just write me off. I have reserved my strength and stamina to scale Mt Qomolongma until I turn 84. So, I have 2-3 more years to go," said Sherchan, who was rescued from the base camp (5, 300 m) by a helicopter on May 28 mainly due to heavy snowfall and rain.

In 2008, Sherchan, then 76, set the world record of the oldest climber on  Qomolongma and held the record for five years until it was broken by Japanese Yuichiro Miura, 80, on May 23 this climbing season.

Miura, in a post-summit press meet, extended best wishes to his Nepali competitor, but also cautioned him about the harsh weather conditions, to which Sherchan ultimately fell victim to.

"I have heard that Miura has set the new record. But, it has to be minutely studied and verified by the Guinness Book of World Records, before his ascent is officially certified," Sherchan opined about his Japanese competitor Miura, who has vowed not to ascend the highest peak again following three successful attempts in 2003, 2008 and 2013.

Sherchan was basically vocal to figure out that he did not receive adequate support from the government of Nepal and that the support was "too late" for him to make his expedition fruitful.

Generally, a permit is given 72 days prior to the ascent, as it needs a lot of preparations and acclimatization.

In Sherchan's case, he received the permit on May 23, only 6 days before his planned ascent on May 29, the day when New Zealand's Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Tenzing Norgay first scaled Qomolongma in 1953.

"I was betrayed. Many mountaineers had already left the Qomolongma region by May 23. Weather was deteriorating. On May 27, I was forced to return from Camp I (5,800 m) to the base camp only to be airlifted on May 28," Sherchan revealed.

The government announced a financial aid of Rs 1 million (around $11,000) for Sherchan on May 23, but only when Japanese Miura set the new world record of the oldest climber.

Had the Japanese failed to make the record, the government would not have provided a single penny to Sherchan, according to him.

"I feel sad the way I was treated. But, I will have no grievance if the government fulfills two things for me," Sherchan said.

"First, I request them to deposit the already-declared assistance of Rs 1 million to me in an account for my next Qomolongma expedition and second, renew my this year's permit for the next year, so that I can scale Mt Qomolongma again," he said.