Werner Berger isn't your average 69-year-old. In fact, he wouldn't be your average 29-year-old. The senior citizen arrived back in Toronto Thursday with a smile on his face and an accomplishment in his books - he became the oldest Canadian ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The Newmarket businessman and motivational speaker only recently took up the sport, climbing his first peak at the tender age of 58.

He admits it was a lot of effort but it was worth it. "Absolutely spectacular. And very much a surprise in a way, because here we were looking down on some of these Himalayan giants, and they looked like little dwarf mountains relative to the height of Everest." But even for a man of such confidence, it was a daunting task. "There were times on Everest where I absolutely did not think I could make it," he admits.

His voice starts to quiver as he recalls the most emotional part of his journey. "Standing on the south summit, looking across the traverse, seeing the Hillary Step, seeing the slope to the north summit, and knowing this is the day I'm going to stand on top of the world," he remembers.

Berger spent five years training for his biggest ever climb, running up and down a gravel pit with a 50-lbs. knapsack on his back. He also took up the habit of climbing up the 'down' escalators. 

"If I'm in an airport...I'll use a down escalator and go up it until somebody kicks me off," he laughs.

About 20 family members were at Pearson International Airport to greet him Thursday morning. One of his grandchildren held a sign that said it all: "My poppa reached the toppa."

The entire expedition was filmed for a new movie.

"I had a high altitude cinematographer with me," he explains.  "And the movie focuses not on climbing --- we use Everest as a metaphor for optimum health."

He next plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

With files from CP

Photo credit: Getty Images/AFP