Mount Everest has turned 'dry, more rocky', says Britain’s record-holding climber
British climber Kenton Cool.
British climber Kenton Cool, who last week completed his 17th ascent of the world’s highest peak, on Saturday said that Mount Everest is losing snow and has turned more "dry and rocky" in the past year.
Cool is the only foreigner who has completed 17 ascents of Mount Everest so far.
The 49-year-old climber, who scaled the 8,849-metre (29,032 foot) peak of Everest for the first time in 2004, stated that the biggest mountain appears to be in a drying state now.
"If you go back to the early mid-2000s, there used to be a lot of snow," he said while speaking to Reuters in an interview in Kathmandu.
The climber was speaking after he returned from his record-setting expedition which was confirmed this week by Nepali and hiking officials.
"A general trend of the mountain is to be more rockyand less snow ... But it changes year on year,” he added. Cool stated that he had never in his life witnessed the types of rock falls that he saw on the Lhotse Face on the route to the Everest summit.
ALSO READ |Indian-origin man missing after reaching Mount Everest summit, family asks for help
"That shows how dry the mountain is now ... I think that is because of the lack of precipitation, a lack of snowfall. It could be global warming or any environmental change of some sort," he stated.
Warming across the Himalayan range more than global average
Climate scientists claim that the temperature of the Earth has increased by an average of 0.74 degreeCelsius in the last 100 years.However, warming across the Himalayan range has been more than the global average.
Officials have stated that Nepal's average temperature has increased by 0.06 degreeCelsius annually because it is located between India and China, two of the heaviest polluters in the world.
This week,a 53-year-old Nepali guide, Kami Rita Sherpa, also improved upon his own record of maximum summits after he scaled the peak of Mount Everest for the 27th time.
WATCH |Everest losing snow, turning dry and rocky: Record-holding climber
)
Trump administration refunds $100 billion in tariffs after Supreme Court ruling
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
American blogger Perez Hilton, covered in blood, cuts himself during livestream, hospitalized after distressing incident
)
'I was almost trafficked in Paris,' says Australian woman, shares terrifying ordeal - 'I am on the black market'
)
India avoids higher US tariff, secures lower 10% rate. Here's how
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Pradeep Rawat died at 74: Revisit the unforgettable roles that defined his career
)
'Affront to our sovereignty': Bangladesh slams India over Sheikh Hasina's Delhi press conference
)
Mark Zuckerberg apologises to Indian government over harmful content, platform errors amid PM video row
)
Sajeeb Wazed raises Indian security concerns, calls Bangladesh a 'failed state'
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Who is Shreya Kalra? Meet the social media star who lifted the Lock Upp 2 trophy
)
The genetic roots of Tamils: 75,000 DNA markers decoded in latest study of Sangam-era settlement
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why are iPhones so expensive compared to Android phones?
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
Did Trump's helicopter nearly collide with a passenger jet? US launches probe
)
'Dhoni Made Fleming Great': Panesar says ECB made the wrong choice for England Test coach
)
Childhood home of Neil Armstrong up for sale | Gravitas
)
Ex top Pakistan official blames economic woes on China: Here's how CPEC became a failure
)
‘Pakistan called for ceasefire, we kept them waiting’: Ex-CDS Anil Chauhan recalls Operation Sindoor
)
Munir-protege Mohsin Naqvi’s claim of unearthing huge scam triggers tremors in Pakistan’s power corridors
)
Pentagon draws up new nuclear strategy in the event of war with Russia and China
)
What’s happening in Nepal? How did a local clash turn into communal violence? WION Decodes
)
Scientists find descendants of ancient sea creatures trapped under Antarctica's Blood Falls
)
Trump goes 'bing bing bing' 11 times within 5 seconds at Iran war briefing
)
Strait of Hormuz deal with Oman being ‘finalised’: Iran’s foreign ministry
)
CJP's Saurav Das alleges YouTubers broke into his house, seeks Delhi Police action
)
$1.3 trillion vanished from chip stocks in days and demand never fell
)
Ghajini villain Pradeep Rawat passes away at 74 after battle with cancer
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why Russian tanks are much lighter compared to US tanks
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Lock Upp season 2: Most dramatic and viral moments that kept fans hooked
)
Nvidia just put $5 billion into a company that has never shipped a product
)
'World's most beautiful village' with only 627 people generated Rs 58 lakh in traffic fines in 2025
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT releases this week (August 3-9, 2026): Main Vaapas Aaunga, Uyir, Operation Safed Sagar- 6 titles coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Did military GPS jamming cause a plane to crash in New Mexico? Here's what a report says
)
India deploys joint outbreak response team as Chandipura virus spreads in Gujarat, Rajasthan
)
Ceaser Gastelum killed during TikTok livestream: What was his last recording?
Cool stated that his 17th ascent to Everest might not be the last and he plans to return to the mountains next year. However, the mountaineer expressed his wish to bid goodbye to Mount Everest after two to three years.
He plans to scale Nepal's Mount Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world at 8,586 metres (28,169 ft) and the 8,481-metre (27,825 ft) high Makalu, which is the fifth tallest.
You cannow write forwionews.comand be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with ushere.
WATCH WION LIVE HERE