Xenon Helps Four British Men Scale Mount Everest. Why Has It Caused Controversy?

News18

23-05-2025

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The group, all former British special forces members, became the first climbers to use xenon gas to scale the world's highest mountain.
Climbing Mount Everest has always been seen as a test of endurance, patience and physical strength. But four British climbers recently made headlines for achieving the feat in just a few days using a gas that is not commonly associated with mountaineering.
The group, all former British special forces members, became the first climbers to use xenon gas to scale the world's highest mountain. The climbers included Alastair Carns, a parliament member and minister for veterans at the Defense Ministry along with Garth Miller, Anthony Stazicker and Kev Godlington. Their expedition, organised by Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures, reached the 8,848-metre summit in less than five days after leaving London.
While their achievement is notable, their use of xenon gas has stirred debate in the mountaineering community and triggered an official investigation in Nepal.
What Is Xenon Gas?
Xenon is a colourless and odourless gas that is over four and a half times heavier than air. It is found in tiny amounts in the Earth's atmosphere and is known for its use in medicine, especially as an anaesthetic.
The gas is also used in many other areas. According to CK Supply, it's found in projector and cinema lamps, camera flashes, car headlights, CT scans, satellites, deep space missions, nuclear energy and metallurgy.
Lukas Furtenbach, head of Furtenbach Adventures, told Reuters, 'Xenon improves acclimatisation and protects the body from altitude sickness and the effects from the hypoxic environment."
How Did The Climbers Use It?
The four British climbers inhaled xenon gas in Germany before beginning their expedition. They also trained at home using special tents that mimic high-altitude conditions. This pre-acclimatisation helped them avoid spending weeks on Everest adjusting to the low oxygen levels which is typically required.
During their actual climb, they still used supplemental oxygen like most mountaineers.
Furtenbach said the shorter expedition also helped reduce waste on the mountain. 'Less garbage, less resources, less human waste in this sensitive environment," he told Reuters.
Why Is The Use of Xenon Drawing Attention?
Nepal has started an investigation into the use of xenon gas by four British army veterans who recently climbed Mount Everest, according to The Kathmandu Post.
In a statement, Nepal's Department of Tourism said it had taken note of the media reports about the climbers' achievement. 'We are currently engaging with the expedition team leaders, members, and the associated agencies to gather detailed information and conduct a thorough study and analysis of this matter," it said.
What Are Experts Saying?
Peter Hackett, a mountaineering physician, told The Washington Post that xenon can temporarily increase erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. 'It did not increase red blood cells and it did not increase their exercise performance" in a study conducted on athletes, he said.
Dr Andrew Peacock, an altitude medicine expert at the University of Glasgow, also shared a similar view with BBC, saying, 'Increase in erythropoietin does nothing on its own. The question in this case is, does it really stimulate production of red blood cells in such a short period?"
The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) also weighed in. 'According to current literature, there is no evidence that breathing in xenon improves performance in the mountains, and inappropriate use can be dangerous. Although a single inhalation of xenon can measurably increase the release of erythropoietin, this increase is not sustained over four weeks' use, nor is it associated with any changes in red blood cells. According to the literature, the effects on performance are unclear and probably non-existent," it said as quoted by BBC.
Ethical Concerns
The use of xenon isn't only raising health concerns, it has also started a debate about ethics and fairness in mountaineering. According to Reuters, American climber Adrian Ballinger called the method a 'stunt" and said, 'It's never seemed like the type of experience we want to provide." He added that using xenon makes the climb feel more like 'mountain tourism" than real mountaineering.
Ballinger also told the Washington Post, 'It is a banned substance by all professional sporting organisations, and even though [mountain climbing] is not managed by a sporting organisation, it's always been a goal of climbers to follow best practices of not doping. All that combined makes it feel, I guess, pretty icky. People should be able to climb how they want to, but it isn't mountain climbing; it's mountain tourism."
Damber Parajuli, president of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, told the BBC that shortcuts like this could damage the credibility of summit certificates and hurt the trekking industry.
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