The 69-year-old man is making a second attempt to scale the world’s highest mountain during the Lion Mount Everest Expedition (MEE) 2017, organised by the Lions Club of Port Dickson Pantai.

In May last year, Lee had to call off the climb in the final stage at Camp III, at the height of 7,200m, due to bad weather. Mount Everest is 8,848m high.

MEE public relations and publicity officer Sherine Leong said Lee departed the Tribhuwan Domestic Airport Terminal in Kathmandu about noon today for Lukla, where he was expected to arrive 45 minutes later.

“At Lukla, Lee and his team will move to Phakding and spend the night there before continuing the journey with several other stopovers,” she told Bernama.

Last Saturday, Lee and his team arrived in Kathmandu at 10.15pm, Nepal time.

Two mountaineers with him are Eugene Kwan Jyh Sin, 47, and Chong Nyuk Kooi, 49.

Kwan and Chong will accompany Lee to the Mount Everest Base Camp, from where Lee will continue the climb to the peak.

Lee will take with him two MEE messages, namely to encourage people of all ages to work to attain good health and be active in community activities, and to urge people to preserve the environment.

Bernama is the media partner on this expedition.