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Posted on 05/26/2025 2:35:42 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Using xenon gas treatment and the latest technology is making climbing Mount Everest not just faster but also better for the environment, cutting down garbage and waste, a renowned mountain guide said Monday.
Lukas Furtenbach took a team of British climbers, who left London on May 16, to scale the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak on May 21. They returned home two days later, in one of the fastest ascents on record of the world’s highest peak, including the climbers’ travel from their homes and back.
The use of xenon gas treatment has, however, drawn controversy and has even raised the concerns of Nepalese mountaineering authorities who have announced an investigation.
“The only reason why we are working with xenon is to make climbing safer, to protect climbers from high altitude sickness,” Furtenbach told The Associated Press upon his return to Kathmandu. “We can see people dying on Everest every year and this is may be one step to improve the situation to make climbing high altitude mountains safer.”
The climbers had put in months of preparation, training in hypoxia tents, and underwent a xenon gas treatment at a clinic in Germany just two weeks before heading to Nepal.
Climbers normally spend weeks at base camp to acclimatize to the higher altitude. They make practice runs to the lower camps on Everest before beginning their final attempt on the peak so that their bodies are prepared for the low pressure and lower level of oxygen available.
The new method is likely to reduce the time climbers spend out of their home countries and cut the number of days they need to take off work, also cutting down on expenses.
Furtenbach said the ability to climb the peak in a short period of time could also lead...
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
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🤣🤣🤣
We’d have to consult with Sir Hillary...Clinton.
Accordion wire, claymore mines and random punji spike pits would make it more interesting.
Unless I missed it, the article never explained what xenon gas does to make it easier to climb the mountain.
Xenon isn’t exactly a dime a dozen, as many will learn.
Most important, ya look real pretty when struck by lightning!
If they’re so worried about the environment, tell everyone to stay the hell off the mountain and buy a tread climber and a nice flat screen to watch instead.
Oh right...$$$
Too much time on foot for a seasoned mountaineer like me. Maybe an escalator with seats. Recliners. Oh, and a beer tap.
Too much prosperity and not enough wars and famines in the world.
The new method is likely to reduce the time climbers spend out of their home countries and cut the number of days they need to take off work, also cutting down on expenses.
Doggone you, you just put something on my bucket list.
Heh, in the new Mission Impossible movie the Navy Divers said that they were using a new dive gas mix that vastly improved performance and recovery time... Ethan (Tom) asked “what’s in it?” : “That’s Classified”.
I wonder if this is related.
Hmmm...
Instead of xenon treatments, why not use Wonderhussy as a guide to the peak?
“Unless I missed it, the article never explained what xenon gas does to make it easier to climb the mountain.”
I used to write articles for the Tallahassee Democrat. The editor would take out critical parts usually saying something like, “People are just too stupid to understand that.” The editors were dismissive about the intelligence of their readers on many occasions. In talking to them, they were unintelligent but unaware of how lacking they were in even normal knowledge. The author may have included the reason the gas is used, and the editor took it out. See below.
“Xenon gas has shown potential in treating hypoxia by acting as a neuroprotectant.
Research indicates that xenon can shield brain cells from damage associated with hypoxia and ischemia2.
Combining xenon with hypothermia has been found to improve long-term function in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage4.
Xenon has a good safety profile and is being explored as a treatment for conditions like neonatal encephalopathy5.
Studies have evaluated xenon’s effects on human airway epithelial cells during hypoxia, indicating its therapeutic potential1.
These findings suggest that xenon gas may play a significant role in managing hypoxia-related conditions.”
Near as I can determine, you spend a few months in a hypobaric tent breathing an atmosphere with oxygen content that mimics the oxygen content at 30,000 feet so you spend lest time acclimating on the ascent.
More info on the topic: https://uphillathlete.com/mountaineering/xenon-gas-and-high-altitude-performance-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont/
Interesting.
Xenon is pretty rare, probably quite expensive.
Why do they go there?
They will save most money and really help Earth by just staying home.
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