Ojisuteyama

I do a fair amount of hiking alone in and about in the Kantō area. Most of the fine folks I meet on the trails are in their sixties. T'is the demographics of mountaineering, Japan-style.

Nevertheless,this story is insane.

Now I am long ways away from my 62nd tour of the solar system--and Amaterasu knows I love the mountains--but if someone were to offer me a chance to climb Sagarmatha/Chomo Lungma today, and it was going to be the only offer I was to ever receive, I would tell the person extending the offer, "No [expletive deleted] thank you." *

Now that Adventure Guides Co. has lost a 63 year-old and a 62 year-old customer in successive years, anyone think its executives might be looking to revamp the age limits on their most expensive tours to perhaps, say, 61?

Perhaps there are some nice countries a bit farther away from China's industrial heartland which could develop and sell some "age-appropriate" adventure tours to these overly-ambitious types. There are, if I remember the demographic/pension data correctly, about to be millions of them looking for something to do with their copious free time.

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* My refusal would be far less certain if the offer were a chance to climb Gasherbrum III.