Everest climber aims to reach his peak at 80

Yuichiro Miura: The Japanese climber made the record book with his first ascent in 2003 (AFP/Getty images)

An 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer has begun his attempt to scale Mount Everest, in an effort to reclaim his title as the oldest man to reach the summit.

In a recorded voice message on his website, Yuichiro Miura said the expedition was expected to last for a little over a week.

“We plan to stand on the summit on May 24… We are all doing well, getting in position to tackle the mountain,” he said.

Mr Miura is hoping to regain his title as the oldest man to set foot on the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) summit. His first climb won him the Guinness World Record back in 2003. Since then, however, the record has been beaten by two other mountaineers: first in 2007 by a 71-year-old Japanese man, and then in 2008 by Min Bahadur Sherchan from Nepal, who made it to the top aged 76.

Although Mr Miura may not yet hold the record for the oldest man to scale Mount Everest, he is the first person to ski down it, completing the high-octane endeavour in 1970.