Chinese red tape scuppers climber’s hopes of being first Irish person to peak Everest without an oxygen tank

James McManus is determined to be the first person from Ireland to achieve the feat

James McManus was forced to abandon his plans due to a lengthy delay from Chinese authorities in issuing the necessary paperwork

Nick Bramhill

He’s the elite Irish mountaineer who has been dogged by more than his fair share of misfortune.

But unlucky climber James McManus has vowed not to let the latest in a string of setbacks derail his bid for a ­history-making ascent in the Himalayas.

The 41-year-old adventurer was last week forced to abandon a gruelling mission to scale to the summit of Mount Everest without oxygen – a feat no Irish climber has ever achieved before.

Despite undergoing a punishing training regime, McManus was left with no option but to cancel his quest to ­summit the 8,848-metre peak from the less-visited Tibetan side, due to a lengthy delay from Chinese authorities in issuing the necessary paperwork.

Even though he had spent almost three weeks in the Himalayas acclimatising to conditions, the frustrating wait for his visa meant he no longer had enough time to attempt the climb without bottled oxygen.

It is the second time the luckless adventurer has had to abandon his bid to become the first-ever Irish person to summit Everest without supplementary oxygen, after bad weather thwarted his final push to the top of the world’s highest mountain two years ago.

And last year, disaster struck once again after an unexpected storm cut short his oxygen-less expedition to the summit of Dhaulagiri – a Himalayan peak that has yet to be conquered by an Irish climber.

However, the defiant Tipperary native has refused to abandon his Himalayan quest, and has secured a new mission – to become the first Irish person to climb towering Mount Lhotse – the world’s fourth highest peak – without oxygen.

Despite being 300m shorter than the summit of neighbouring Everest, ­Lhotse – which is steeper, and has hazardous rocky and icy faces – is an even tougher climb, particularly without oxygen.

However, McManus, along with a Sherpa, is aiming to make his summit push on May 25 and is praying the weather gods will finally be on his side.

“I felt devastated that my Everest climb came to a halt once again. But I’m not turning my back on Everest, and will come back next year or the year after to attempt to climb it again without oxygen.

“But in the meantime I’m going to climb Lhotse, which will be a massive challenge. I think maybe four other people from Ireland have climbed it before, but I’ll be the first to do it without oxygen.”