In 1975, Xia Boyu lost his feet after giving his sleeping bag to a sick teammate during a high-altitude storm.
Now aged 69, he became the second double amputee to scale Everest – and the first ever from the Nepalese side.
Australian Steve Plain, meanwhile, set the record for the fastest climb of the highest mountains on seven continents.
Plain’s achievement also features a story of overcoming physical challenge, coming four years after he broke his neck in a surfing accident.
‘A challenge of fate’
The storm that caused Xia’s frostbite struck in the “death zone” above 8,000m (26,200ft) and stranded his team for three nights, not far from the summit.
As a result, he needed to have his feet amputated. Then, in 1996, his legs were amputated above the knee as he battled lymphoma.
Despite his injuries, he never abandoned the notion of reaching the summit.
“Climbing Mount Everest is my dream,” he told AFP news agency in April. “I have to realise it. It also represents a personal challenge, a challenge of fate.”