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American Climber Sets New Everest Speed Record

American climber and endurance athlete Tyler Andrews has reportedly set a new speed record for an oxygen-assisted ascent of Mount Everest, reaching the summit from Base Camp in under 10 hours.

According to live tracking data, Andrews began his climb from Everest Base Camp at 7:11 p.m. local time and arrived at the summit at 5:06 a.m., completing the ascent in 9 hours and 55 minutes.

The feat breaks the previous oxygen-assisted record of 10 hours and 56 minutes set by Lakpa Gelu Sherpa in 2003, cutting more than one hour off the long-standing mark.

Andrews is widely known in the mountain endurance community for his rapid ascents on some of the world’s highest peaks. Over the past few years, he has claimed speed records on mountains including Ojos del Salado, Cotopaxi, Mount Fuji, Aconcagua, Mount Kilimanjaro, Manaslu, Mera Peak, and Ama Dablam.

By 2024, he had reportedly established more than 85 mountain and trail speed records across five continents.

The latest achievement comes after several unsuccessful attempts to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen. In 2025, Andrews launched multiple efforts to pursue the fastest unsupported ascent of the mountain but was forced to retreat several times because of dangerous weather and avalanche conditions.

During one attempt, he climbed to about 26,400 feet before turning back due to unstable snowpack. Earlier this year, another attempt ended after he was evacuated from near Camp Two.

Unlike those earlier climbs, Andrews used bottled oxygen during the record-setting ascent, allowing him to maintain a significantly faster pace on the upper sections of the mountain.

While oxygen-assisted and non-assisted climbs are treated separately in mountaineering records, the new mark is expected to spark fresh debate within the climbing community over speed climbing ethics and style.

Officials in Nepal and independent climbing record trackers are expected to verify the achievement in the coming days.

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