Ex-British soldiers summit Everest in record time using xenon
Team reaches peak in under a week with help from xenon-assisted acclimatization, drawing praise for innovation and scrutiny over safety.
Photo Credit : Sandro Gromes
A team of four former British military personnel reached the summit of Mount Everest at around 7:10 a.m. on Wednesday, completing the first half of an ambitious attempt to scale the world’s highest peak in under a week using a 'controversial gas-assisted acclimatization' method.
The climbers — Garth Miller, Alastair Carns, Anthony Stazicker, and Kev Godlington — are part of a speed expedition led by Austrian guide company Furtenbach Adventures. The ascent was aided by pre-expedition inhalation of xenon gas, believed by the team to accelerate the body’s production of red blood cells, reducing the need for traditional acclimatization over several weeks.
The team flew from the UK to Kathmandu, then took a helicopter directly to Everest Base Camp before launching their rapid ascent. The method is intended to limit exposure to high-altitude risks such as avalanches and altitude sickness.
Lukas Furtenbach of Furtenbach Adventures confirmed the summit but said the mission is only halfway complete, with the descent still underway.
The use of xenon has drawn scrutiny from medical experts and mountaineering organizations, who warn of insufficient evidence supporting its safety and efficacy at high altitudes. Despite this, the climbers maintain that their success so far demonstrates the potential of modern approaches to extreme altitude expeditions.
