Mountaineers usually spend weeks or months acclimating to high altitudes before ascending Mt. Everest. But one group accomplished the feat in less than a week after using an anesthetic gas that critics warn could be dangerous.

Solukhumbu

Four British climbers have become the first to ascend Mount Everest after using xenon gas to aid their acclimatization process. Traditionally, climbers spend several weeks or months adjusting to high altitudes, but this group completed the ascent in less than five days after departing from London. 

The climbers used a combination of hypoxic tents, which simulate high-altitude conditions, and xenon gas, a medical anesthetic, to prepare for the climb. The xenon treatment, developed specifically for mountaineering, is said to protect against high altitude sickness and enhance acclimatization. All four climbers are former British special forces members and underwent intensive training prior to the expedition. While proponents suggest the method could make climbing safer, critics have raised concerns about the potential dangers of using anesthetic gases in this context.

Mountaineers scale Mt. Everest with help from an anesthetic gas

Four British climbers have become the first to ascend Mount Everest after using xenon gas to acclimatize. Usually climbers, they need to spend time in the mountain, letting their bodies get used to the higher altitudes. And this could take weeks or even months. But this group of mountaineers, they were able to scale the peak less than five days after leaving London. We did a combination of hypoxic tents. That's a tent basically at your home in your bedroom that simulates higher altitude. You sleep in these tents for a couple of weeks before the expedition. And the second component was a treatment with a noble gas called xenon. That's a medical gas that is used in anesthesia for 75 years. And they get this treatment that we have been developed over the past five years, especially for mountaineering. And the xenon gas has the effect in the human body. It helps to protect the body for high altitude sickness. And it enhances the acclimatization. All of these four guys are ex-special forces from the British military. So they are very fit athletes. But still, they have to undergo a very intensive training program to be ready for this mission. The xenon protects the body and makes the climb safer. And we see people dying on Everest every year. And this is maybe one step to improve this situation.

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