American runner Tyler Andrews left today for the summit of Everest, hoping for a Fastest Known Time without oxygen. That won’t happen — at least not on this occasion. He is still going up but has resorted to bottled oxygen. Andrews will now try to break Lakpa Gelu Sherpa’s oxygen-assisted record of 10 hours, 56 minutes, and 46 seconds, set on May 26, 2003.
In a just-in-case video recorded in advance and posted on his Instagram stories, Andrews explains that due to adverse weather, he has started using supplemental oxygen. Based on when this video was posted, Andrews probably started using oxygen at Camp 2. At the time of writing the story, Andrews was making good progress above Camp 3.
Andrews says that he has not given up hope on the no-O2 record. Once he returns to Base Camp, he will decide the best day to re-try the Everest FKT without oxygen.
Andrews notes that the no-O2 record he is after is the one set by Marc Batard of France in 1988 (22 hours and 29 minutes), and not Kaji Sherpa’s (20 hours, 24 minutes). Both were measured from Base Camp to the summit, not for the return trip. We will ask for clarification when the American runner returns to Base Camp.
In the meantime, another runner is in Base Camp ready to set his own Everest FKT: Karl Egloff of Ecuador will also climb without O2. Once on the summit, he will keep running down in order to set an FKT for the return trip, which has not yet been attempted.
The wind has returned
Sabrina Finzmoser of Austria, currently on a no-oxygen (but not FKT) attempt on Everest, reported strong winds at Camp 4. Nevertheless, she set out for the summit. Saulius Damulevicius of Lithuania, currently in Camp 2, also said that the wind suddenly picked up this evening and broke the poles of his tent. He needed three hours to fix it.
