A group of former Special Forces members from the UK formed a mountaineering team to climb the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest (also known as Sagarmatha), to raise funds for a veterans charity. The team set off from London and successfully reached the summit in just 5 days.
According to reports from Agence France-Presse, the team consisted of four former members of the British Special Forces, including current UK Minister for Veterans Affairs, Alistair Carns. Prior to their departure from London on May 16, they had been preparing for this challenge for several months, including sleeping in low-oxygen tents simulating high-altitude conditions.
The expedition was led by Austrian explorer and mountaineer Lukas Furtenbach, who planned the event. The team, consisting of the four climbers, a photographer, and five Sherpas, successfully reached the summit at 7:10 am on May 21.
In addition to Carns, the other three former Special Forces members were Garth Miller, Anthony Stazicker, and Kevin Godlington. Together, they fundraised for children who lost their parents in military conflicts.
Carns, aged 45 and having served in Afghanistan five times, expressed, “I’ve seen people in Afghanistan who never came back.”
Traditionally, climbers attempting Everest have had to spend at least two months on the mountain to acclimate to the high-altitude, low-temperature, and low-oxygen environment. However, the team led by Miller, a commercial pilot, opted for a different approach. They flew by helicopter directly to Everest Base Camp in Nepal upon arrival.
Miller referred to their strategy as a “new way to climb an 8,000-meter peak,” utilizing the latest sports science to train physically for a faster ascent to higher altitudes.
Areas above 8,000 meters are known as the “death zone” due to the thin air and low oxygen levels, increasing the risk of altitude sickness.
To counter this, team members pre-acclimatized at home using low-oxygen tents and specialized training techniques, followed by xenon gas therapy two weeks before departure. Furtenbach mentioned that xenon gas can expedite the climbing speed and reduce the risk of altitude sickness.
However, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation issued a warning in January this year regarding the use of xenon gas. The federation stated, “There is no evidence showing that inhaling xenon gas can enhance climbing performance, and improper usage could be dangerous.”
Although the team quickly summited Everest, they were not the fastest climbers to reach the world’s highest peak.
According to the Guinness World Records, Nepali climber Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa set the record on May 26, 2003, reaching the summit from the base camp in just 10 hours, 56 minutes, and 46 seconds.