Everest in five days British team s speed climb triggers probe by Nepali authorities

KATHMANDU - Four former British special forces soldiers have set a startling new precedent on Mount Everest, reaching the summit in under five days without the traditional acclimatisation process.

Their rapid ascent of the planet’s tallest peak has drawn sharp scrutiny from Nepali authorities, not for the climb itself, but for the controversial use of xenon gas prior to their arrival in Nepal.

The team, comprising Major Garth Miller, Colonel Alistair Scott Carns, Mr Anthony James Stazicker, and Mr Kevin Francis Godlington, summited the world’s highest peak at approximately 7.15am (9.30am Singapore time) on May 21.

Their journey began in London on the afternoon of May 16, with the climbers arriving at Everest Base Camp the following day. By 10.30pm on May 20, they had begun their final summit push.

Back home, the team had trained in hypoxic tents and followed a rigorous high-altitude conditioning regime. But what has provoked the current controversy is their reported inhalation of xenon gas, administered two weeks before departure in Europe, intended to reduce the risk of altitude sickness.

Mr Himal Gautam, director of the Department of Tourism, who oversees mountaineering expeditions, said the department was not informed of the gas use.

“We have launched an investigation into the matter,” he said, noting that all climbers and operators must declare the equipment, medications, and substances used during expeditions.

Traditionally, climbers take more than a month to summit Everest.

They begin their trek in early April and complete multiple rotations between Everest Base Camp and higher camps to acclimatise. These rotations are vital for adapting to the thinning air at high altitudes, and skipping them is considered risky.

By contrast, the British team completed the entire climb in just five days - a feat that would have been unimaginable in previous decades.

While their speed