Yet another record has been broken on Mount Everest this season, this time for fast summiting. Phunjo Lama, a Nepalese hiking guide, broke the record for the fastest ascent by a woman on 23 May.
1. Reclaiming the record
Lama has reclaimed her title from Ada Tsang, a climber from Hong Kong who had been holding the record since 2021. Lama left Base Camp at 3:52 p.m. and reached the 8,849-metre peak at 6:23 am the following day, after 14 hours and 31 minutes.
A full ascent however takes into account the return journey as well, which she made in another 9 hours and 18 minutes, for a total of 24 hours and 26 minutes without sleeping. She had previously made the return journey in 39 hours and 6 minutes in 2018, which was the world record until Tsang achieved just 25 hours and 50 minutes in 2021.
As a guide, my goal in setting this record is to promote the beautiful mountains of Nepal to people all over the world. I want to ensure that not only I, but everyone, can witness and appreciate the stunning beauty of these natural wonders.
Phunjo Lama
“I didn’t follow a specific training routine; instead, I train consistently every day. To me, consistent training is as important as food. The most important aspect of my training was learning to control my mind, keeping it in check and practicing patience”, Lama said. “The most important thing on success to climbing is that we need a dream team, with right people and right intentions.”
Lama’s achievement is even more impressive considering she made the climb at night. Leaving Base Camp in the afternoon was a strategic decision to avoid the approximatively 6,700 people that attempt the climb every day. Instead of queuing after thousands, she told CNN she only encountered 60 to 70 people on the morning of the 24th of May.
Born in Chhokangparo, a small village located at an altitude of 5,000 metres in Nepal’s Tsum Valley, Lama has spent most of her life in the mountains. Although she moved to Kathmandu as a teenager, she still spends most of her time in the mountains – half of the year as a local guide and the other half around the world. She has previously climbed Alaska’s Denali, the tallest mountain in North America and plans to summit Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain.
2. Male records
The record for the fastest ascent by a has been held by Nepali Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa since 2003. The local guide made the journey to the summit and back to Base Camp in an impressive 10 hours and 56 minutes and remains undefeated for over 2 decades.
Meanwhile, two weeks before Phunjo’s ascent, two other records were broken on the same day. On 12 May, Kami Rita Sherpa reached Everest’s 8,849-metre peak for the 29th time, breaking his previous record for the most ascents by a local, while Kenton Cool, a 50-year-old British man, reached the peak for the 18th time, also broke his previous record for the most climbs by a foreigner.
3. Climbing Everest
Climbing Everest is only possible from April to June and only a limited number of people are given permits. This year, 414 permits, each costing $11,000, were issued by Nepal’s government.
Conquering the world’s tallest mountain is something many aspire to do, however, not all who venture on the hike make it back. Following one of the deadliest seasons last year, when 18 people lost their life during the hike, all climbers from this year on are required to wear a tracking device.
Since 2019, the Nepali army sets out on the mountain before climbing season opens to clean up garbage and dead bodies. The tracking devices, along with a new requirement for climbers to pick up their faeces and bring it back to Base Camp, are meant to help maintain the cleanliness of Everest, which is increasingly threatened by climate change and overtourism.
