British mountaineer sets record 19th Everest summit
British mountaineer Kenton Cool has scaled Mount Everest for the 19th time, breaking his own record for the most climbs up the world's tallest mountain for a non-sherpa.
The 51-year-old, who was accompanied by Nepali sherpa Dorji Gyaljen, reached the 8,849m (29,000ft) high summit at 11:00 local time (04:15 GMT) on Sunday.
Mr Cool first climbed Everest in 2004 and has summited it almost yearly since.
Mr Gyaljen logged his 23rd climb up Everest. Another Nepali sherpa, Kami Rita, holds the record for making the most number of Everest summits at 30, and is also currently on the mountain attempting to set a new record.
Mr Cool's record-setting feat comes after at least two climbers - Subrata Ghosh from India and Philipp "PJ" Santiago II from the Philippines - died on Mount Everest this week.
After his 16th Everest ascent in 2022, Mr Cool appeared to play down his record, noting that many Nepali climbers have surpassed it.
"I'm really surprised by the interest... considering that so many of the sherpas have so many more ascents," he told AFP in an interview then.
Four days before the latest feat, Mr Cool told his Instagram followers that he "finally [had] a positive forecast" that will allow him to go ahead with the attempt.
"Let's hope that we manage to thread the needle with regard to numbers of climbers and we have a safe and enjoyable time up high," he wrote.
Fellow climbers hailed the achievement.
Mr Cool is a "great person to share stories from two decades on the mountain", American adventurer Adrian Ballinger told Reuters news agency.
"His experience, charisma, and strength make him a valuable part of the Everest community," says Mr Ballinger, who is currently guiding a team up Everest.
"Amazing, Kenton," wrote Jordanian mountaineer Mostafa Salameh, who is one of only 20 people to complete the climb the highest mountains on all seven continents and conquer the North and South Poles.
Mr Cool is also a mountain guide who has lead British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, among others, on several notable climbs including Everest.
A Himalayan river may be making Everest taller
Climbing Everest? You need to bring your poo back
Deadly Everest season puts focus on record permits
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Scared of flying? These airlines have been ranked the safest in the world for 2025
With aviation incidents frequently in the news, concerns about the safety of flying have been on the rise. If you are wondering just how safe your next flight might be, there's a handy piece of research that will take the guesswork out of your booking. AirlineRatings, an airline review site, has recently released its annual rankings of the world's safest airlines. It lists out the top 25 carriers based on a multitude of factors to give passengers more confidence when they fly. For 2025, the world's safest airline was Air New Zealand for the second year in a row. The Kiwi airline often vies with its antipodean neighbour Qantas for the top spot, taking the crown in 2024 and 2022. The first 11 places in the safest airlines ranking for 2025 are dominated by Asia-Pacific and Middle East airlines. But European airlines put in a good show too, taking seven of the top 25 places on the list. Related Facing a pilot shortage, Swiss cancels flights. Is this a sign of a wider European trend? Flying to the UK next year? New airspace design promises quicker journeys and fewer delays Turkish Airlines, straddling the market between Europe and Asia, is the safest airline in Europe. It came 13th in the global rankings, earning a seven-star rating on the platform. Despite operating to more destinations than any other airline in the world, Turkish hasn't had a fatal accident since 2009, when a Boeing 737 crashed on approach to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Nine people died as a result of the crash, but 126 survived. Last year, Turkish Airlines also won awards for its catering and in-flight entertainment and received a 'World Class' rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). It was named the 'Best Airline In Europe' by Skytrax. TAP Portugal snagged 14th place in the rankings, making it the second-safest airline in Europe. It hasn't lost a passenger since 1977 and regularly runs fear of flying courses in partnership with the Unidade de Cuidados Integrados de Saúde (UCS). A flurry of European carriers made up the bottom half of the list. In order, they were SAS (16th), British Airways (17th), Iberia (18th), Finnair (19th) and the Lufthansa Group, which also includes SWISS (20th). For Iberia, it has been a transformational year, winning accolades for the best on-time performance, best airline staff and outstanding catering. It's the first time Iberia has made it onto the top 25 safest airlines list. Related Why choosing to carbon offset your flight isn't always the greenest option Toronto plane crash is 2025's latest: Is flying still the safest form of transport? AirlineRatings assesses low-cost carriers separately from their full-service counterparts, and European airlines put in a great showing in the 2025 ranking. Top of the list is behemoth low-cost airline Ryanair, which claimed 3rd place in the global ranking and was the safest budget airline in Europe. In its 40-year history, the airline has never had a fatal accident, and says it 'continues to prioritise the safety and security of our people and customers above all else.' Following closely behind was easyJet, a UK-headquartered airline. It came 4th in the global rankings, making it the second safest European low-cost airline. Like Ryanair, it hasn't had a fatal accident in its 30 years of operations. 'We take our security and safety obligations very seriously,' says easyJet. 'All our planes are checked prior to departure and undergo regular safety checks. Our cabin crew are trained to support you and ensure your comfort and safety at all times.' Further down the list in 7th place globally, Wizz Air secured its place as the third safest low-cost airline in Europe. Again, being a relatively young airline, it has never lost a passenger and has a fleet of new Airbus aircraft averaging under five years old. Also appearing in the top 25 safest low-cost airlines in the world were Norwegian (12th), Vueling (13th), Jet2 (14th), Eurowings (20th) and airBaltic just scraping in at 25th position. Neither Jet2 nor airBaltic were in the top 25 in previous lists. British leisure airline Jet2 pulled itself up the rankings with positive passenger reviews and excellent customer service. It is another fatality-free carrier, with very few even minor incidents reported. For Latvian airline airBaltic, achieving a position among the 25 safest low-cost airlines was a proud moment. 'Safety is and always will remain our top priority at airBaltic,' says CEO Martin Gauss. 'Our dedicated teams work tirelessly to ensure a safe and comfortable travel experience for our flight crew and passengers. Being recognised on such a global scale underscores our commitment to excellence.' AirlineRatings grades airlines based on multiple data points, and complements its findings with consultations with pilots and aviation experts. Primarily, the publication studies specific attributes of each airline to determine their safety. These include the age of its aircraft, the number of planes it operates, the pilot training it provides and the rate of incidents reported. Related European budget airlines' hand luggage fees 'violate EU laws', say consumer organisations Why do you have to open your window blind for takeoff? Airline safety rules explained Interestingly, AirlineRatings considers airline profitability, which may seem an unusual attribute to link to safety. However, airlines doing less well financially may be less inclined to invest in training, maintenance and improvements, theoretically lowering their ability to remain safe. The ranking also considers whether the airline is from a country that has passed the ICAO country audit, known as the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). This audit allows ICAO to assess the implementation of safety oversight in the nation and compliance with best practices. Finally, it considers whether the airline has passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), a global industry standard for airline operational safety auditing.
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Perseverance: The Underdog's Superpower
Underdogs don't succeed because they are the biggest, the best, and the brightest, or even because they are the boldest. They succeed because they have perseverance. Rocky is the ultimate underdog story—at least, in fiction. With all the subsequent sequels, it's easy to forget that in the original, Rocky Balboa's goal wasn't to win against Apollo Creed. Rather, his goal was 'to go the distance' with Creed, to persevere through a full 15 rounds. In my upcoming book, Underdog Nation, I also share about Sylvester Stallone's own underdog story, and his perseverance to position himself as the movie's lead when the studio was set on hiring a 'big name.' In the end, his tenacity won out. But how do underdogs develop this superpower? Is it natural talent or something more? Throughout my own life, I've seen this over and over. My father showed perseverance when he chose to stay in Vietnam to keep fighting, even though he had no idea what would happen next. When I entered Officer Candidates School for the Marines, it required immense perseverance because I had no idea what I was about to face. As soon as we arrived at Quantico, the sergeants started drilling us and shouting at us to get our tails off the bus and in line. Within minutes, one sergeant was barking in my face—the only Asian face in the line—asking why I was even there and if I was 'a Viet Cong spy' (and no wonder since this was the same year the movie Platoon was released). The moment was so shocking and unanticipated that my eyes welled up with tears, and I nearly broke down and cried. I was totally unprepared for the moment. Suddenly, I was a little refugee boy again, facing an unknown and uncertain future, and ready to go back home with my mom. In retrospect, our recruiter did his best to prepare us for the experience by not warning us what OCS would be like. He wanted us to be in shock because perseverance requires the ability to operate in a new environment. In the face of the unknown, you have to develop mental toughness—mental stamina. Right off the bat, perseverance is more about mental stamina than it is physical, even when you're performing a physical activity. Ask anyone who's finished a marathon and you'll hear the same story repeated—the last 6.2 miles are finished through mental grit. Success means being able to finish the marathon—and it's not a matter of luck. There's a formula for finishing well. You have to be prepared for the unknown—the weather, how you'll feel that day, and any circumstances that might occur during the race, like a pulled muscle or a hole in your shoe that suddenly appears. All of that happens first in the mind. You don't build up mental stamina overnight, though. It's a process. The more situations where you have to be mentally tough, the more perseverance and stamina you develop. It's the same with amateur golf. You can't do the same stuff every time you go out on the course and expect different results. That's the insanity cycle. You have to build up the mental stamina. You have to learn how to adjust your mental approach to different types of weather and ground conditions. Practice doesn't make perfect—competing (and often losing or, as the saying goes in golf, choking) does create perseverance. And with enough perseverance, you make progress. When I entered sales, I learned just how much perseverance is the great differentiator. If you don't have the mental toughness to take a 'no,' you won't last long. According to reports from Marketing Donut, 80 percent of prospects say 'no' before they ever say 'yes,' yet 44 percent of salespeople give up after the first rejection. They simply don't have the mental stamina to push back for more information, or to follow up and hear 'no' again. When I failed to take our company public the first time, I changed our go-to-market approach and rewrote the entire prospectus. Underdogs don't succeed because they are the biggest, the best, and the brightest, or even because they are the boldest. They succeed because they have perseverance. Because they are willing to face the unknown with mental stamina. When you consider your own level of perseverance, which one of those two areas do you need to grow in?
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scared of flying? These airlines have been ranked the safest in the world for 2025
With aviation incidents frequently in the news, concerns about the safety of flying have been on the rise. If you are wondering just how safe your next flight might be, there's a handy piece of research that will take the guesswork out of your booking. AirlineRatings, an airline review site, has recently released its annual rankings of the world's safest airlines. It lists out the top 25 carriers based on a multitude of factors to give passengers more confidence when they fly. For 2025, the world's safest airline was Air New Zealand for the second year in a row. The Kiwi airline often vies with its antipodean neighbour Qantas for the top spot, taking the crown in 2024 and 2022. The first 11 places in the safest airlines ranking for 2025 are dominated by Asia-Pacific and Middle East airlines. But European airlines put in a good show too, taking seven of the top 25 places on the list. Related Facing a pilot shortage, Swiss cancels flights. Is this a sign of a wider European trend? Flying to the UK next year? New airspace design promises quicker journeys and fewer delays Turkish Airlines, straddling the market between Europe and Asia, is the safest airline in Europe. It came 13th in the global rankings, earning a seven-star rating on the platform. Despite operating to more destinations than any other airline in the world, Turkish hasn't had a fatal accident since 2009, when a Boeing 737 crashed on approach to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Nine people died as a result of the crash, but 126 survived. Last year, Turkish Airlines also won awards for its catering and in-flight entertainment and received a 'World Class' rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). It was named the 'Best Airline In Europe' by Skytrax. TAP Portugal snagged 14th place in the rankings, making it the second-safest airline in Europe. It hasn't lost a passenger since 1977 and regularly runs fear of flying courses in partnership with the Unidade de Cuidados Integrados de Saúde (UCS). A flurry of European carriers made up the bottom half of the list. In order, they were SAS (16th), British Airways (17th), Iberia (18th), Finnair (19th) and the Lufthansa Group, which also includes SWISS (20th). For Iberia, it has been a transformational year, winning accolades for the best on-time performance, best airline staff and outstanding catering. It's the first time Iberia has made it onto the top 25 safest airlines list. Related Why choosing to carbon offset your flight isn't always the greenest option Toronto plane crash is 2025's latest: Is flying still the safest form of transport? AirlineRatings assesses low-cost carriers separately from their full-service counterparts, and European airlines put in a great showing in the 2025 ranking. Top of the list is behemoth low-cost airline Ryanair, which claimed 3rd place in the global ranking and was the safest budget airline in Europe. In its 40-year history, the airline has never had a fatal accident, and says it 'continues to prioritise the safety and security of our people and customers above all else.' Following closely behind was easyJet, a UK-headquartered airline. It came 4th in the global rankings, making it the second safest European low-cost airline. Like Ryanair, it hasn't had a fatal accident in its 30 years of operations. 'We take our security and safety obligations very seriously,' says easyJet. 'All our planes are checked prior to departure and undergo regular safety checks. Our cabin crew are trained to support you and ensure your comfort and safety at all times.' Further down the list in 7th place globally, Wizz Air secured its place as the third safest low-cost airline in Europe. Again, being a relatively young airline, it has never lost a passenger and has a fleet of new Airbus aircraft averaging under five years old. Also appearing in the top 25 safest low-cost airlines in the world were Norwegian (12th), Vueling (13th), Jet2 (14th), Eurowings (20th) and airBaltic just scraping in at 25th position. Neither Jet2 nor airBaltic were in the top 25 in previous lists. British leisure airline Jet2 pulled itself up the rankings with positive passenger reviews and excellent customer service. It is another fatality-free carrier, with very few even minor incidents reported. For Latvian airline airBaltic, achieving a position among the 25 safest low-cost airlines was a proud moment. 'Safety is and always will remain our top priority at airBaltic,' says CEO Martin Gauss. 'Our dedicated teams work tirelessly to ensure a safe and comfortable travel experience for our flight crew and passengers. Being recognised on such a global scale underscores our commitment to excellence.' AirlineRatings grades airlines based on multiple data points, and complements its findings with consultations with pilots and aviation experts. Primarily, the publication studies specific attributes of each airline to determine their safety. These include the age of its aircraft, the number of planes it operates, the pilot training it provides and the rate of incidents reported. Related European budget airlines' hand luggage fees 'violate EU laws', say consumer organisations Why do you have to open your window blind for takeoff? Airline safety rules explained Interestingly, AirlineRatings considers airline profitability, which may seem an unusual attribute to link to safety. However, airlines doing less well financially may be less inclined to invest in training, maintenance and improvements, theoretically lowering their ability to remain safe. The ranking also considers whether the airline is from a country that has passed the ICAO country audit, known as the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). This audit allows ICAO to assess the implementation of safety oversight in the nation and compliance with best practices. Finally, it considers whether the airline has passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), a global industry standard for airline operational safety auditing.
