US endurance Athlete Tyler Andrews sets new Everest speed record as Spring 2026 season closes on historic high
Summary
American endurance athlete Tyler Andrews set a new oxygen-assisted speed record for climbing Mount Everest, completing the ascent from Base Camp to summit in 9 hours and 55 minutes during the record-breaking Spring 2026 season.
Key Points
- Tyler Andrews set a new oxygen-assisted fastest known time climbing Mount Everest in 9 hours and 55 minutes, breaking the previous record from 2003.
- The Spring 2026 Everest season recorded over 900 summits with some milestones, including Kami Rita Sherpa's 32nd ascent and Lhakpa Sherpa becoming the first woman to summit 11 times.
- The season had 494 climbers with permits, the highest-ever summit totals expected to cross 1,000, and an increased permit fee from $11,000 to $15,000.
- Despite challenges like an unstable serac blocking the Khumbu Icefall route, the season had a relatively low casualty rate of 0.5 percent with five confirmed deaths.
