AMAZING adventurer James Ketchell is back in Basingstoke after completing his latest fantastic feat – scaling the world’s highest mountain for charity.

The 29-year-old, of Severn Way, Riverdene, climbed Mount Everest last month, overcoming frostbite, high winds and a lung infection.

It was an exciting but also harrowing adventure for the intrepid fundraiser as on the descent he passed the body of a climber who had succumbed to the elements.

James’ lung infection meant he had to have a three-day stay at Basingstoke hospital after arriving home, but last week he was well enough to attend a “welcome home” party at Nando’s restaurant, in Festival Place. The business was one of his sponsors.

James, whose endeavours featured in The Gazette when he rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean last April, admitted that scaling the 8,848metre mountain was “by far my toughest challenge.”

He told The Gazette: “Rowing across the Atlantic was hard, but climbing Everest was different gravy. Every step drained all my energy.”

James began his adventure by flying to Lukla Airport in Nepal via Kathmandu and Delhi on March 31 before taking a 10- day trek to Everest base camp to acclimatise.

He explained: “Because Everest is so massive, there are four camps on the way up. We spent three days trekking from base camp to South Col – the fourth camp – where we only had around six hours rest before we had to try for the summit.”

James said the final 800metres took him 11 hours but it was “pure elation” on reaching the summit – shortly after 8.30am on Monday, May 16.

He continued: “At first, the adrenaline dragged me up there and it was an amazing feeling to be on top of the world. But very quickly, that wore off and I felt very exposed and uneasy. In the end, I really wanted to get down. I spent about 10 minutes taking a few pictures then left.”

James climbed to the summit in the dark but as he made his way down, it became light. It was on his descent that he came across the body of Japanese climber Takashi Ozaki, who is thought to have died shortly before James’ ascent.

James said: “I had never seen a dead body before. It was a very sad sight. His arm was stretched out as if looking for help.”

The descent became even more problematic for the adventurer, who found his breathing becoming laboured due to the lung infection that had begun to take hold.

Following his treatment in hospital, James is now back home on a course of antibiotics, and plotting his next adventure.

James, who is the first Briton to both row solo across the Atlantic and climb Mount Everest, is raising money for the ELIFAR Foundation, a charity that helps disabled children. For more information, or to sponsor James, visit james ketchell.net.