Wellington: He failed in his first attempt, but former New Zealand cricketer Adam Parore was successful the second time around as he reached the summit of Mount Everest despite running out of oxygen and “freaking out” several times on his way up.

“I spent about 20 minutes to half an hour up there. I took a few photos but I wanted to come back. It is very exposed and a long way down,” Parore said. “I had great plans on what I should do and how I might feel but in the end it was a bit of an anti-climax. I just wanted to get down and live.”

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet to be honest. But what a view, mate, you can see the end of the world. It's just a shame that you’re so out of it you don’t know what you’re looking at,” he said.

Parore is understood to have called ex-wife Sally Ridge and their two children from a satellite phone.

He was part of a group of climbers, including friend and experienced New Zealand guide Mark Woodward.

The 40-year-old said it was a lifelong dream to scale the peak 8848m above sea level even though he feels destroyed at the end of the adventure.

“I’m a bit b******d and sick and tired of not being able to breathe. I’m trashed physically, totally destroyed.”

Parore’s first attempt about a week ago could not succeed due to extreme weather conditions. The wicket keeper has been in Nepal since March 27. “It is hard work, the smallest thing can turn into a huge problem. The physicality of it was something else. It’s completely beyond anything I've ever done.

“If you get high enough the only thing that matters is breathing. It’s quite a liberating experience,” he said. Parore left for Kathmandu on March 29. His climb started on April 10, so it took about six weeks to reach the top.

Parore has raised $1350 so far and hopes pledges will help him raise more than $100,000 for the climb to donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Parore played 78 Test matches for New Zealand and 179 ODIs.       

(PTI)