A Ukrainian man who lives in the US claims to have completed a journey from sea level in New York to the summit of Mount Everest in a record four days.
This feat, announced Friday, stands in stark contrast to the usual two-month acclimatisation period most climbers undertake to adjust to the extreme altitudes.
Andrew Ushakov, a structural engineer who is relatively unknown as a climber, began his journey from sea level in New York, which added another layer of difficulty to the already arduous climb.
Traditional Everest expeditions involve a gradual ascent, with climbers establishing camps at progressively higher altitudes to allow their bodies to adapt to the thin air.
This process typically takes weeks, if not months, before a summit attempt is made. The Ukrainian-American's four-day ascent bypasses this crucial acclimatisation period.
Independent verification of this record-breaking claim remains a challenge. Nepal lacks an official body to validate such mountaineering feats.
Typically, record claims are scrutinised by fellow climbers and specialist mountaineering organisations, a process that can take weeks or even months.
This claim follows another recent, similarly unverified feat.
Just days earlier, four British climbers, having pre-acclimatised using Xenon gas in Germany, reportedly summited Everest in under five days, starting their journey from London. Their rapid ascent also awaits independent confirmation.
Andrew Ushakov said he did not use Xenon gas. He said he embarked on his expedition from New York and scaled the Everest summit on Monday in slightly less than four days.
Similarly to the Britons, Ushakov slept at home in a hypoxic tent that simulates high-altitude conditions before heading to Nepal, and used supplemental oxygen like other climbers.
Ushakov, 40, told Reuters in Kathmandu that he hoped his feat, which came after two years of preparation and research, would set an example for his 6-year-old son to do "something big" in the future and encourage people to take to mountaineering without having to leave work and family for long.
Ushakov said that in an attempt to make a fast ascent of Everest last year, he reached 8,500 m (27,880 ft) but developed a vision problem and failed to complete the climb. He said he broke his arm in Ecuador two months ago when he was hit by an avalanche.
Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, has issued permits to 468 people to climb Mount Everest during the current season ending this month. About 300 climbers, including the Sherpa guides, have scaled the summit so far.
British climbers first to scale Mount Everest using new method
Indian and Romanian climbers die on Nepal’s Mount Lhotse
British climber sets record with 19th Everest summit, most by a non-Sherpa
Bangladesh’s interim leader Yunus ‘threatens to quit’ over lack of reform progress
Pakistan denies airspace access to Kashmir-bound flight caught in storm
