Latest news with #AlpenglowExpeditions
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Britons Become 1st to Scale Mt. Everest with Help of Xenon Gas, Organizer Says
KATHMANDU (Reuters) — Four British climbers became the first to scale Mt. Everest on May 21 using xenon gas, which helped them save several weeks that mountaineers need to get used to high altitudes, an official of their expedition organizing company said. Normally climbers spend several weeks or even months on the mountain to allow their bodies to adjust to higher altitudes before trying to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain. It is extremely dangerous to go up if the climber is not properly acclimatized. The British climbers, who had inhaled xenon gas in Germany before embarking on the expedition, climbed the 8,848 meter peak in less than five days after departing London, said Lukas Furtenbach of the Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures that organized the expedition. They slept in special tents that simulate high-altitude conditions at home before heading to the mountain and used supplemental oxygen like other climbers during their ascent. Xenon is a colorless and odorless gas found in very small amounts in the earth's atmosphere and is known to have some anesthetic properties and medical uses. 'Xenon improves the acclimatization and protects the body from altitude sickness and the effects from the hypoxic environment,' Furtenbach told Reuters in a text message from the base camp, referring to the low oxygen environment in the mountains. Furtenbach, who has logged four Everest ascents, said xenon gas was used by guides before, but 'it is the first time for clients,' or ordinary climbers. Xenon made the climb safer and shorter as it kept the climbers properly acclimatized, he said. 'Shorter expedition also means less garbage, less resources, less human waste in this sensitive environment,' Furtenbach said. Piles of garbage dumped by climbers have been an issue on Everest in recent years. American climber and guide Adrian Ballinger of the Alpenglow Expeditions company called the use of xenon a 'stunt … it's never seemed like the type of experience we want to provide.' 'Everyone should climb the mountain in a form they are proud of. If these climbers are proud of this style, then that's their choice,' Ballinger said. Nepal has issued permits to 468 people to Everest during the current March-May climbing season, and more than 200 have already topped the summit so far.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
The Everest Race is Over, Tyler Andrews Ends FKT Attempt
Tyler Andrews has abandoned his Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempt on Everest, aborting just above Camp 4. Karl Egloff, climbing without oxygen, had called off his bid two hours earlier. Andrews' expedition leader, Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking, made the final decision to end the attempt. In poor weather, he wanted to preserve the safety of the runner and the support team on the mountain. "I turned him around above the South Col," Dawa Steven told ExplorersWeb. "My team, who were waiting up at the Balcony and South Summit, reported extremely strong winds, so I called my whole team off the mountain." Egloff set off without supplementary oxygen and hoped to run the entire round trip to the summit and back to Base Camp. Andrews had also planned to run without oxygen, but changed his mind following advice from his team, who suggested he should use oxygen on the upper sections of the mountain because of high winds and very cold conditions. Yesterday, Garrett Madison checked in from Camp 4 on his way back from the summit and shared images of a gigantic wind plume rising from Everest's summit area. However, despite the high winds, some climbers topped out today. Adventure Consultants reported summits between 5:30 am and 6 am Nepal time. On the north side, the Alpenglow Expeditions team started their summit push yesterday. They plan to top out on May 27.
India Today
21-05-2025
- Science
- India Today
British climbers become first to scale Mount Everest using Xenon gas
Four British climbers have become the first to summit Mount Everest using Xenon gas to accelerate their acclimatisation, shaving weeks off the traditional expedition historic ascent, organised by Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures, marks a new chapter in high-altitude climbers spend several weeks or even months on Everest, gradually adjusting to the mountain's thin air before attempting the 8,848-metre summit. Rapid ascents without proper acclimatisation are considered extremely dangerous due to the risk of altitude sickness and However, the British team, after inhaling Xenon gas in Germany and sleeping in high-altitude simulation tents at home, managed to reach the summit in less than five days after leaving London. They also used supplemental oxygen during their climb, as is standard practice. Climbers spend several weeks or even months on Everest. (Photo: AFP) WHAT IS XENON GAS?Xenon, a rare, colourless, and odourless gas with known anaesthetic and medical uses, was pivotal to the team's for its stability and lack of reactivity, xenon is found in trace amounts in Earth's atmosphere. Despite being rare, it has several important is used in high-intensity lighting such as flash lamps, strobe lights, and car headlights, thanks to its ability to emit a bright white light. In the medical field, xenon is sometimes used as a general anesthetic due to its non-toxic and non-reactive most fascinatingly, xenon plays a role in space exploration, serving as a fuel for ion propulsion systems in satellites and deep-space missions. I'Xenon improves the acclimatisation and protects the body from altitude sickness and the effects from the hypoxic environment,' said Lukas Furtenbach, the expedition organiser and a veteran of four Everest ascents. While guides have previously used Xenon, this is the first time it has been employed by regular team highlighted that the shorter expedition not only made the climb safer but also reduced environmental impact. 'Shorter expedition also means less garbage, less resources, less human waste in this sensitive environment,' he noted, addressing Everest's growing waste everyone is convinced. American guide Adrian Ballinger of Alpenglow Expeditions called the use of Xenon a 'stunt,' but acknowledged, 'If these climbers are proud of this style, then that's their choice.'With Nepal issuing 468 climbing permits this season and over 200 successful summits so far, the British team's innovative approach may signal a new era for Everest Watch
Free Malaysia Today
21-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Briton makes 19th ascent of Everest, most by a non-Sherpa
Kenton Cool first climbed Everest in 2004 and has since repeated the feat almost every year. (Reuters pic) KATHMANDU : A British climber beat his own record today for the most climbs of Mount Everest by a non-Sherpa, making his 19th ascent of the world's highest mountain, a hiking official said. Britain's Kenton Cool, 51, climbed the 8,849m peak in the morning and was descending to lower camps, said Rajan Bhattarai of Nepali expedition organising company Himalayan Guides. Fellow climbers hailed the record as 'legendary'. 'His experience, charisma, and strength make him a valuable part of the Everest community,' said Adrian Ballinger of US-based Alpenglow Expeditions. 'He's just a great person to share stories from two decades on the mountain,' Ballinger, a nine-time summiteer of Everest now leading an expedition on the Chinese side of the mountain, told Reuters in a text message. Cool first climbed Everest in 2004 and has since repeated the feat almost every year. Today, he was accompanied by a Sherpa, Dorji Gyaljen, who logged his 23rd climb. Another Nepali Sherpa, Kami Rita, holds the record for the greatest number of ascents of Everest by any person at 30. Cool used the Southeast Ridge route, also known as South Col, which is the standard route to the summit pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. The route remains the most popular path among climbers. Everest has been climbed by more than 8,000 people, many of them multiple times, since it was first scaled by Hillary and Norgay more than 70 years ago. Mountain climbing is a major tourism activity and a source of income as well as employment for Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 tallest peaks, including Everest. Nepal has issued 468 permits, each costing climbers US$11,000, for the climbing season that ends this month.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Britons become first to scale Mount Everest with the help of Xenon gas, organiser says
By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) -Four British climbers became the first to scale Mount Everest on Wednesday using Xenon gas, which helped them save several weeks that mountaineers need to get used to high altitudes, an official of their expedition organising company said. Normally climbers spend several weeks or even months on the mountain to allow their bodies to adjust to higher altitudes before trying to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain. It is extremely dangerous to go up if the climber is not properly acclimatised. The British climbers, who had inhaled Xenon gas in Germany before embarking on the expedition, climbed the 8,848 metre (29,032 ft) peak in less than five days after departing London, said Lukas Furtenbach of the Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures that organised the expedition. They slept in special tents that simulate high-altitude conditions at home before heading to the mountain and used supplemental oxygen like other climbers during their ascent. Xenon is a colourless and odourless gas found in very small amounts in the earth's atmosphere and is known to have some anaesthetic properties and medical uses. 'Xenon improves the acclimatisation and protects the body from altitude sickness and the effects from the hypoxic environment,' Furtenbach told Reuters in a text message from the base camp, referring to the low oxygen environment in the mountains. Furtenbach, who has logged four Everest ascents, said Xenon gas was used by guides before but 'it is the first time for clients', or ordinary climbers. Xenon made the climb safer and shorter as it kept the climbers properly acclimatised, he said. 'Shorter expedition also means less garbage, less resources, less human waste in this sensitive environment,' Furtenbach said. Piles of garbage dumped by climbers have been an issue on Everest in recent years. American climber and guide Adrian Ballinger of the Alpenglow Expeditions company called the use of Xenon a 'stunt ... it's never seemed like the type of experience we want to provide.' 'Everyone should climb the mountain in a form they are proud of. If these climbers are proud of this style, then that's their choice,' Ballinger said. Nepal has issued permits to 468 people to Everest during the current March-May climbing season and more than 200 have already topped the summit so far.
