An 80-year-old Japanese extreme skier who just missed becoming the oldest man to reach the summit of Mount Everest five years ago is back on the mountain to make another attempt at the title.

Unfortunately for him, the slightly older man who nabbed the record a day before he could in 2008 is fast on his heels.

Today, Yuichiro Miura was already in the oxygen-deficient "death zone" and hoped to reach the 8,848 metres summit tomorrow.

His 81-year-old Nepalese rival Min Bahadur Sherchan was at the base camp preparing for his own attempt on the summit later this week.

On his expedition's website, Mr Miura says he hopes a successful climb will raise the bar for what is possible.

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