Briton Attempts ‘Fastest Ever’ Everest Mission, Using Xenon Gas
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Former Gurkha officer leading team that hopes to acclimatise and reach the peak within days not months
These two introductory paragraphs add more detail.
Mountaineers could soon leave home on a Monday, climb to the summit of Everest by Thursday, and “make it home for Sunday lunch” by using gas to boost their red blood cells.
Lukas Furtenbach, a guide from Austria, believes that xenon — a noble gas sometimes used as a rocket propellant — can help climbers “pre-acclimatise” to the high altitude, dramatically cutting the time required to conquer the world’s highest peak.
The Wikipedia entry for Xenon shows that it is more interesting than a noble gas with a heavy atomic weight of 293.
For instance it has been used in anesthesia according to Wikipedia.
Perhaps, it makes you fall asleep on Everest, so that a dozen hardy Sherpas can carry you all the way up to the summit.
So does this explain the use of xenon before climbing the mountain?
The question needs to be answered by a serious cardiologist with an interest in mountaineering and time on their hands.
The Anonymous Widower 
I agree – people need to know tht xenon has been checked for safety.
I presume you cant just turn up at the base of Everest and start to climb up it – there must be pre-climb procedure.
But human being are often rather silly, and I can imagine people who want to climb Scafell or other local mountains but cant because their breathing isnt 100% deciding to try it with xenon. Studying this idea would make a good PhD project for someone interested in climbing.
Have you had snow? It has been awful here, snow lying on the ground for almost a week and very icy as well. Today it is sunny and no ice – jolly cold, but no ice.
Comment by nosnikrapzil | January 16, 2025 |
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