Colorado climber reached top of Mount Everest, then died

Christopher Kulish beneath Mount Everest. Photo / AP

A Colorado climber died shortly after getting to the top of Mount Everest and achieving his dream of scaling the highest peaks on each of the seven continents, his brother said.

Christopher Kulish, a 62-year-old Boulder lawyer, died yesterday at a camp below the summit during his descent. The cause isn't yet known, said his brother, Mark Kulish of Denver.

Christopher Kulish had just reached the top of Everest with a small group after crowds of hundreds of climbers made the 8,850m peak congested last week, his brother said.

"He saw his last sunrise from the highest peak on Earth. At that instant, he became a member of the '7 Summit Club,' having scaled the highest peak on each continent," Mark Kulish said.

Several climbers have died in May while climbing Mt Everest amid crowded conditions on the world's tallest mountain. Photo / AP

He described his brother as a lawyer in his "day job" who was "an inveterate climber of peaks in Colorado, the West and the world over".

Mark Kulish added: "He passed away doing what he loved, after returning to the next camp below the peak."

About half a dozen climbers died on Everest last week, including Don Cash of Utah, who also had fulfilled his dream of climbing the highest mountains on each continent.

Most of them died while descending from the summit during only a few windows of good weather each May.

Most are believed to have suffered from altitude sickness, which is caused by low amounts of oxygen at high elevation and can cause headaches, vomiting, shortness of breath and mental confusion.

There are 41 teams with 378 climbers permitted to scale Everest during the spring climbing season. An equal number of Nepalese guides are helping them get to the top.

- AP