Photo: PURNIMA SHRESTHA / AFP / Getty Images
Four British military veterans are set to blitz Mount Everest in a record-shattering seven days, leaping from London to Nepal, soaring to base camp by helicopter, and charging up 29,000 feet, all while testing controversial xenon gas to dodge the deadly “death zone,” per a report by The Washington Post. With a Special Forces mindset and a veterans’ fundraiser fueling their climb, this bold crew’s shaking up the mountaineering world. But is their high-tech bet genius or reckless?
Led by Alistair Carns, a former British Royal Marine turned U.K. lawmaker, alongside pilot Garth Miller, businessman Kevin Godlington and entrepreneur Anthony Stazicker, the team’s spent months in brutal prep. They’ve reportedly logged over 500 hours in hypoxic tents, gasping through sleepless nights to mimic Everest’s thin air, a grind Carns calls “pretty miserable,” per the Washington Post.
Their edge? A May 5 dose of xenon gas, which some say ramps up red blood cells to fight oxygen starvation above 26,200 feet, where brains falter and lives hang by a thread.
Mountaineer Lukas Furtenbach, who pioneered so-called flash expeditions up Everest, pitched the xenon plan to the four adventurers, claiming it cuts risky acclimatization climbs and eases the mountain’s ecological strain at a cost of around $170,000.
But the climbing community’s split: The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation has questioned the use of xenon as unproven, risky, and banned in sports for boosting erythropoietin, a blood-enhancing protein. Studies show fleeting effects, not lasting red cell boosts, leaving doubts about its value.
Carns, undeterred, sees it as a high-stakes mission: One day travel, three up, two down, back by day seven, raising funds for veterans. Success could reshape Everest’s future, while failure courts disaster in the unforgiving heights. As these vets race the clock, the climbing community is watching, torn between awe and skepticism.