Breaking Boundaries: How British Soldiers Made History on Everest with an Innovative Climbing Method

Four British former special forces soldiers recently made waves by climbing Mount Everest in under five days without the usual acclimatization process. This speedy ascent used xenon gas, raising some eyebrows in the climbing community.

Typically, climbers spend six to eight weeks on Everest to adapt to the thinning air. Staying at different camps helps them prepare for the peak, which sits at 8,849 meters. However, this team took a different route. They used hypoxic tents to simulate high-altitude conditions for three months before their expedition. Besides that, they inhaled xenon gas in Germany, claiming it would help fend off altitude sickness.

While the team reached the summit in just over four days, this was not the fastest Everest climb ever. Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa still holds that title, taking just 10 hours and 56 minutes from base camp to the summit in 2003, after acclimatizing on the mountain.

Critics in the climbing community are skeptical about using xenon gas. The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation warned that inhaling xenon could be risky and noted that acclimatization is complicated and not fully understood. They emphasized that simply using a substance likely won’t boost performance effectively.

Adrian Ballinger, another eminent mountaineer, also trains his clients using hypoxic tents but opposes using xenon. He believes shortcuts undermine the fundamental challenges of climbing and can lead to issues with fairness in expeditions.

The implications of this ascent go beyond personal achievements. Expedition operators are concerned this method might encourage other climbers to skip essential acclimatization, potentially harming Nepal’s tourism industry. Damber Parajuli, president of Nepal’s Expedition Operators Association, stated that such trends could reduce the time climbers spend on the mountain, conflicting with established mountaineering ethics.

Nepal’s tourism officials had no knowledge of the expedition’s unconventional approach until after the climb. Narayan Regmi, director general of Nepal’s tourism department, mentioned they would discuss what to do next.

So why attempt such a fast climb? Lukas Furtenbach, the expedition organizer, noted that shorter expeditions lower the carbon footprint and reduce the ecological impact. Less time spent at high altitudes also means fewer risks from altitude-related dangers.

While the debate about the safety and ethics of using xenon continues, one thing is clear: Mount Everest climbing is evolving, and so are the methods and technologies used. Future climbs may look quite different as climbers adapt to these innovations.

For further information, you might explore The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, which discusses various safety and performance-related topics in mountaineering.

Source link