In the eighth expedition he went as a government liaison officer with the Swiss expedition to "study the mountain" hoping that this attempt too would fail so that he could be the first person to climb one of the tallest mountains in the world.

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The view of the town is equally impressive during the day, or at night, when thousands of lights climb the darkened mountains in a dreamscape of illumination.

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In other parts of the world, the devoted nail themselves to wooden planks or climb mountains in their bare feet.

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