Closing in on summit

BY MIKE SCOTT

Last updated 05:00 25/09/2009

MIKE SCOTT/Taranaki Daily News

ALL SET: Earlier this month Dr Julian Haszard was all smiles at the Manaslu base camp where porters drop loads of equipment needed to climb the world's eighth highest peak.

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Taranaki man Julian Haszard is within five days of reaching the summit of the world's eighth highest mountain.

Dr Haszard is climbing Mt Manaslu (8156m) in the Himalayas as a $27,000 fundraiser for his Nepal-based dental aid programme, SmileHigh.

Speaking via satellite phone from the Himalayan Experience Manaslu base camp, Dr Haszard said that despite difficult snow conditions the climb was progressing well.

He was currently resting for two days before making his way to base camp four. The summit push was planned for September 29.

He had already spent a night at camp three at 6900m and was well acclimatised, he said.

"It should be all good but you never know, it is a big mountain."

Conquering Manaslu would make it three 8000m peaks for the Kiwi orthodontist after he climbed Mt Everest in 2004 (8848m) and Cho Oyo (8201m) in 2003.

Dr Haszard's SmileHigh programme recently completed a successful clinic in the remote village of Samagon which sits in the shadow of Manaslu.

Taranaki Daily News web producer Mike Scott has returned from Nepal where he was documenting the work of SmileHigh.

To donate visit www.smilehigh.net