How climbers could tackle Everest in a WEEK - thanks to a controversial gas that's banned in professional sport
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Reaching the summit of Mount Everest was once considered mountaineering's most daring feat. But now, a group of climbers plan to completely conquer the world's tallest mountain in less time than you might spend on a trip to the seaside. Using controversial xenon gas therapy, these busy mountaineers should be able to get from Heathrow to the summit and back in just one week.
![[Reaching the summit of Mount Everest was once considered mountaineering's most daring feat. But now, a group of climbers plan to completely conquer the world's tallest mountain in less time than you might spend on a trip to the seaside]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/11/94115631-14286961-Thanks_to_guide_companies_offering_unlimited_oxygen_and_Sherpa_a-a-24_1736940636579.jpg)
If the technique proves successful, time-poor workaholics could pay £124,000 ($150,000) to achieve their climbing dreams without needing to miss Monday's meetings. At almost 8,850 metres, altitude sickness can lead to fatal consequences for climbers who don't take proper precautions.
![[The extreme altitude of Everest (pictured) requires mountaineers to allow their bodies to acclimatise to the low oxygen levels. But by breathing a low dose of xenon gas, climbers might be able to radically reduce the time needed]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/11/94115545-14286961-The_extreme_altitude_of_Everest_pictured_requires_mountaineers_t-a-21_1736940636566.jpg)
These usually involve weeks or even months of rest and short climbs up and down stretches of the mountain called rotations. However, Austrian mountain guide Lukas Furtenbach believes that xenon therapy - a controversial treatment banned in professional sport - could let expeditions skip that process entirely.
![[Typically, a climber might spend up to 10 weeks climbing Everest including a lengthy stay at base camp (pictured) to give their bodies time to adapt. By breathing xenon for 30 minutes, mountaineers might be able to start their assent immediately upon arrival]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/11/94115661-14286961-Typically_a_climber_might_spend_up_to_ten_weeks_climbing_Everest-a-22_1736940636570.jpg)
Just 30 minutes spent breathing a low dose of the noble gas can boost the body's red blood cell production enough to cut a 10-week expedition to a seven-day trip. Austrian mountain guide Lukas Furtenbach (pictured) has developed a controversial strategy which could allow climbers to conquer Mount Everest in just one week.
![[Later this year, a team led by British pilot Garth Miller will attempt to climb Mount Everest in a seven-day round trip. The team will ascend from base camp to the summit in just three days and return on the fourth]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/11/94115659-14286961-Later_this_year_a_team_led_by_British_pilot_Garth_Miller_will_at-a-23_1736940636575.jpg)
