Central Hawke's Bay's Corbin Mason-Smith can now echo a famous New Zealander's words: "We've knocked the bastard off", having this week successfully completed the Everesting Challenge.
Across the globe, people keen to set themselves a goal take on the Everesting Challenge - walking or cycling the equivalent distance Sir Edmund Hillary traversed on his ascent of Mt Everest (8848m).
This week, Mason-Smith, accompanied by fellow Hawke's Bay cyclist Immanuel Becker, both aged 19, conquered their own Everest on Te Mata peak, the first time the challenge has been completed by bike at that location.
A former competitive road cyclist , who had represented New Zealand at the 2014 Oceania Track Championships, Mason-Smith is due to enter the army in January and felt he needed a personal challenge to set the scene for military life.
"I have always enjoyed endurance sports and decided to take this on to go out with a bang and do an epic ride before Christmas."