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For the first time in 23 years, a new Mt. Everest speed record has been set! American climber Tyler Andrews smashed the previous Mount Everest speed record (assisted with oxygen), breaking the previous record’s time by just over an hour.
It is important to note that there are several different speed records that can be set on Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain and believed to be the toughest test in mountain climbing. Tyler Andrews set the new speed record using assisted oxygen while the other two main speed records are unassisted (without oxygen) and the sea-to-summit record (unassisted/assisted) which begins at sea level in India and ends at the summit of Mount Everest.
American Climber Tyler Andrews Sets Mt. Everest Speed Record
The previous Mt. Everest speed record was set in 2003 and that record was held by Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa. They made it from Everest Base Camp to summit, using supplemental oxygen, in a time of 10 hours and 56 minutes.
This week, Tyler Andrews smashed that record and climbed from Everest Base Camp to Summit in a record-setting time of 9 hours and 55 minutes, shaving 1 hour and 1 minute off the previous record, a massive leap forward as far as records are concerned. In total, Tyler Andrews‘ round trip from Mt. Everest Base Camp to Summit and back to Base Camp was a 16 hour and 32 minute climb.
Mount Everest has been in the news quite a bit recently. In the past week, much was made of how backed up the summit was with footage showing hundreds and hundreds of climbers bunched up at the top of the mountain. Many argue that the hordes of people at the summit cheapen the experience of climbing the world’s tallest mountain while others argue that there is simply more interest than ever and the conditions were perfect.
Also, last month a scandal broke claiming Mt. Everest tour guides had been accused of poisoning mountain climbers as part of a massive insurance scam. A lawsuit was filed regarding that after warning signs were all over. Climbers spending tens of thousands of dollars on medical treatment (helicopter evacuations, hospital stays, etc.) began to look overly suspicious over time. Read more about that on the link above.
But now there’s great news from Mt. Everest! And for context, this is what the climb from Mt. Everest Base Camp to the summit looks like:
Who Is Mountain Climber Tyler Andrews?
Tyler Andrews is from Concord, Massachusetts and prior to setting the new oxygen-assisted FKT of Mt. Everest he already held several prominent mountain climbing speed records.
Andrews holds the Sea-to-Summit-to-Sea record of Mount Fuji with a time of 9 hours, 50 minutes, and 30 seconds. He also holds the FKT for Mt. Kilimanjaro at 6 hours, 37 minutes, and 57 seconds, as well as Aconcagua in Argentina with a time of 11 hours, 24 minutes, and 46 seconds. He has also set other Himalayan peak records including the Mera Peak (15h52m), Manaslu (9h52m), and Ama Dablam (6h20m30s).
But none of those records, regardless of how prestigious they are, hold the global gravitas of owning the Mt. Everest speed record. Everyone alive knows Mt. Everest as the tallest mountain on earth. Toddlers learn about the world’s tallest mountain from the earliest of ages. It is global monument to man’s hubris and summiting Mt. Everest is considered the ultimate achievement by many.
Here is a video from Tyler Andrews posted two weeks ago showcasing his data-driven approach to capturing the new Mt. Everest speed record:
In addition to Tyler Andrews’ oxygen-assisted Mt. Everest speed record, the other records currently on Everest are owned by Kazi Sherpa who made it from Base Camp to Summit in a time of 20 hours and 24 minutes without the use of supplemental oxygen back in 1998.
And South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho holds the non-motorized Sea-to-Summit record with a time of 67 days. That’s no supplemental oxygen, starting in Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal with a 97-mile kayak followed by a 555-mile bike ride from Northern India to Nepal and then a 100 mile walk to Mt. Everest Base Camp all before they even went from Base Camp to summit.
As far as Mt. Everest speed records go, while it’s not the fastest trip to the summit, the 67 days spent going from sea level to summit without any use of machines is definitely the most hardcore.