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‘9 hours, 55 minutes’: US climber, a cancer survivor, summits Mt Everest in record time
Tyler Andrews beat previous record holder, Nepali climber Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa's, record by reaching the summit an hour earlier
US climber Tyler Andrews reportedly set a new record in summiting the Mount Everest, with the support of supplementary oxygen on Thursday.
The 36-year-old mountaineer managed to scale the 8,849-metre (29,032 foot) peak in 9 hours and 55 minutes, an hour shy of the previous record held by Nepali climber Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, Andrews team told news agency AFP. Nepal's mountain authorities are yet to formally confirm the time.
"He reached Everest's peak in just 9 hours 55 minutes," team leader Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking said. Andrews completed the summit just before the crack of dawn on Thursday, as tracked by the live GPS route shared by him on his Instagram.
The Asian Trekking Team further revealed that Andrews finished the climb on a solo journey wherein guides provided supplementary oxygen, food and water while tracking his progress.
Prior attempts
Back in May, Andrews had initially attempted to break the current record (22 hours and 29 minutes) for finishing the summit without the support of any supplementary oxygen. However, he was forced to turn back.
Andrews said he was a cancer survivor and claimed to be undertaking this activity in support of raising funds for young athletes who lack sufficient access to coaching and equipment in Ecuador and Nepal.
Just last week, 3 Indians among 274 climbers set a fresh record for the highest number of ascents recorded in a day. The group scaled the summit on May 21 and included 3 Indians namely, Tulasi Reddi Palpunoori, Sandeep Are and Ajay Pal Singh Dhaliwal.
This achievement broke the previous record held by a group of 223 climbers who reached the peak on the same day from the Nepalese side in May 2019. India's Lakshmikanta Mandal also scaled the peak the next day with eight others including six Nepalese sherpas, according to Pioneer Adventure Pvt. Ltd., the organiser of the expedition.
In addition, Rishi Ram Bhandari, general secretary of the Expedition Operators Association in Nepal told PTI that 502 climbers had secured permission to climb the peak in spring of 2026.
This climbing season has proved successful for about 950 people, as the weather window nears to a close. Five deaths -- two Indians and three Nepalis – have been reported in preparations so far. As reported by AFP, the highest death toll stands for the 2023 season which saw 18 fatalities.
