Japanese climber, 80, is the oldest to reach the top of Everest

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Katmandu, Nepal • A Nepalese official says 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer Yuichiro Miura has become the oldest man to reach the top of Mount Everest.

Miura, who also conquered the 29,035-foot peak when he was 70 and 75, reached the summit at 9:05 a.m. local time Thursday, according to his support team in Tokyo. Miura called them from the summit to report the news.

Nepalese mountaineering official Gyanendra Shrestha, at Everest base camp, confirmed that Miura had reached the summit, making him the oldest person to do so.

The previous age record holder was Nepal's Min Bahadur Sherchan, who accomplished the feat at age 76 in 2008.

Sherchan, now 81, was preparing for his own attempt on the summit next week.