BRITAIN'S most successful high-altitude climber has set his sights on his next target - the seventh highest mountain in the world.

Alan Hinkes hopes to reach the summit of the 8,167m high Dhaulagiri during May, and will be flying out to the Himalayas at the end of this month.

Mr Hinkes, 49, of Northallerton, is the first Briton to have climbed 12 of the world's 14 peaks higher than 8,000m, including famous and dangerous mountains such as Everest and K2.

Challenge 8000 is his quest to be the first Briton to climb all 14 peaks, and become one of only 12 worldwide to ever achieve the feat.

In 2002 he climbed Annapurna by a new route, the first British ascent for more than 30 years.

He now has only two of the 8,000m peaks to climb, Kangchenjunga and Dhaulagiri. Both are in the 'Death Zone', an unforgiving environment where no one can survive for more than a few days.

Mr Hinkes had to abandon an attempt on Kangchenjunga last year due to a severe bronchial infection during his trek into base camp.

He has regained full fitness for this year's expedition and aims to make a new route on Dhaulagiri's south side.

He said: "Dhaulagiri will be very hard work, made up of complex ridges and ice falls and the trek into base camp alone will take up to two weeks, travelling through the Kali Gandaki valley, the deepest in the world.

"I will be making a modern, lightweight summit attempt and I am feeling confident. As I have always said I climb to live, not to die - the summit is always optional but returning is mandatory."