Mark Ballard has successfully reach the top of the tallest mountain in the world.

Ballard, originally from St. John’s, had last communicated that he had reached Mount Everest’s Camp Four yesterday and would be attempting to reach the summit overnight NL time.

Followers have been able to track his progress via GPS online.

At around 7:15 a.m. this morning, Nepal time, Ballard reached the top at over 29,000 feet, and posted that he made it just as the sun was coming up.

He is now heading back to Camp Two, some 7,000 feet down.

Earlier Story

A St. John’s man is close to getting as high as it comes.

Mark Ballard, who now lives in Norway, is an avid rock climber who has been training for months in an attempt to summit Mount Everest.

Climbing Everest is a multi-stage process, often taking weeks, climbing higher from camp to camp in an attempt to acclimatize to the thin air thousands of feet above sea level.

Gary Moore posted an update on Ballard’s progress to the Newfoundland History Buffs group on facebook. Ballard arrived at Camp 4, at 7,902 metres, just after 3:00 a.m. our time.

The hardest climb is still ahead, as above 8,000 metres the air doesn’t contain enough oxygen to breath, forcing climbers to carry their own supply.

Ballard says he intends to attempt the summit tonight. You can track his progress using his GPS.