What is Xenon gas? British climbers conquer Everest using this groundbreaking method

A British team of four ex-special forces soldiers have become the first to summit Mount Everest using xenon gas to accelerate acclimatisation, on Wednesday. Their rapid ascent, completed in less than five days after leaving London, was organised by Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures.

Xenon, which is a rare, colourless and odourless gas with recognised medical applications, was the key to the team’s preparation for the summit. It is known for it's stability and lack of reactivity, and is found in tiny qualities in the earth's atmosphere. The gas was administered in Germany before the expedition in a very controlled setting to simulate the effects of gradual acclimatisation.

If one goes by the traditional expedition timeline, the climbers spend weeks on the mountain adjusting to low oxygen levels. Rapid ascents are usually considered extremely risky due to the threat of altitude sickness. However, Furtenbach Adventures claims that xenon “improves acclimatisation and protects the body from altitude sickness.”

This team, spent months sleeping in high-altitude simulation tents in the UK. These tents replicated the low-oxygen environment of the Mount Everest’s upper slopes, helping the climbers’ bodies to adapt before their departure for the expedition.

The gas is used in high-intensity lighting such as flash lamps, car headlights. It is also utilised in the medical field due to its non-reactive and non-toxic nature. It is also interesting to know that Xenon plays a crucial role in space explorations, serving as a fuel for ion propulsion systems in satellites as well as in deeep-space missions.

The four men, which included UK government minister Alistair Carns and other ex-military personnel, departed London on May 16. Accompanied by a photographer and five Sherpa guides, they reached the 8,848-metre summit on Wednesday, May 21.

While some hail the method as a breakthrough, others remain sceptical. While the mountain guides have previously used Xenon, this marks the first time it has been employed by regular climbers. Although this expedition is a record Everest ascent, the record of the fastest still belongs to Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, who climbed from the base camp to the summit in just 10 hours and 56 minutes in the year 2003, however, he did this after acclimatising on the mountain.