Briton, 65, scales Everest fears

LONDON, May 26 (UPI) -- The oldest Briton to climb Mount Everest said he looked down just once because a fear of heights makes him dizzy.

Ranulph Fiennes, 65, made it to the top of the Himalayan mountain last week after unsuccessful attempts in 2005 and 2008, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.

"Way down below, you could see the top of all the frilly clouds, and here, there and everywhere you've got mountain tops poking through, Fiennes said. "To use a cliche, it's just like fairyland."

Fiennes, despite having vertigo, climbed the mountain as part of a challenge to raise money for cancer research. Fiennes is the first explorer in history to scale Mount Everest and reach both the North and South poles, the Telegraph reported.

A heart attack halted Fiennes' 2005 ascent on the mountain and exhaustion forced him to turn back last year. He said he kept himself going this year by repeating, "plod forever" and "die high."