US runner claims Everest speed record, but experts question comparability

Mount Everest has once again been the stage for a record-breaking attempt, this time by US trail runner Tyler Andrews. According to the specialized website ExplorersWeb, Andrews completed the ascent from base camp to the summit, approximately 8,850 meters above sea level, in less than ten hours.

This feat reportedly shaves over an hour off the previous record held by Lakpa Gelu Sherpa since 2003. The achievement has garnered attention within the mountaineering community, but it also raises questions about the validity and comparability of such speed records.

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Of course, it is a very impressive achievement to climb Everest – even with bottled oxygen – in this time from base camp to the summit.

Billi Bierling, head of the Himalayan Database, acknowledged the impressive nature of the climb, even with bottled oxygen. "Of course, it is a very impressive achievement to climb Everest – even with bottled oxygen – in this time from base camp to the summit," she told the German Press Agency (dpa). However, she noted that "most people need a similar amount of time just for the ascent from Camp 4 at 7,950 meters to the summit."

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The most people need a similar amount of time just for the ascent from Camp 4 at 7,950 meters to the summit.

Bierling further elaborated that speed records using bottled oxygen are difficult to compare to records set in less extreme conditions. "The altitude at which one uses oxygen, as well as the flow rate, make a big difference," she explained. "In addition, I think that as an athlete, one should undertake such a record without bottled oxygen," she added, emphasizing that bottled oxygen is a performance-enhancing aid.

Andrews himself reportedly stated that he had attempted the climb without oxygen multiple times but had to abandon each attempt. ExplorersWeb quoted the extreme athlete after his return: "It has always motivated me as an athlete to push my own limits, and the ascent to the summit in 9:55 hours (and the descent in 16:32 hours) is one of the hardest things I have ever done."

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The altitude at which one uses oxygen, as well as the flow rate, make a big difference.

Details provided by ExplorersWeb suggest Andrews used bottled oxygen from Camp 2 (6,400 meters) with a flow rate of four liters per minute. This contrasts with Lhakpa Gelu's ascent, which reportedly used oxygen only from Camp 4 with a flow rate of two to three liters per minute. Bierling also pointed out that the route itself changes annually, with the Khumbu Icefall being particularly fast this year, potentially influencing climbing times.

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In addition, I think that as an athlete, one should undertake such a record without bottled oxygen.