Tyler Andrews Eyes Everest Speed Record this September
American ultrarunner Tyler Andrews will return to Nepal this September to chase one of mountaineering’s most elusive feats: the fastest ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.
The 35-year-old made three attempts in the spring, all falling short of Kaji Sherpa’s 1998 record of 20 hours, 24 minutes. A broken boot zipper, bad weather, and sheer exhaustion forced him to turn back—once just 1,400 feet shy of the summit.
“I was so cooked,” Andrews admitted from his home in Ecuador. “I had to go back to square one and be patient.”
Most climbers make one Everest attempt per season. Andrews kept pushing—spurred partly by rival Karl Egloff’s simultaneous bid and the presence of a documentary film crew—but left Nepal in May expecting to wait a year. Then, his outfitter Asian Trekking mentioned a rare fall climbing window.
Fall ascents of Everest are almost unheard of. Heavy post-monsoon snow, volatile jetstream winds, and avalanche risk narrow the summit window to mere days. The Himalayan Database notes the last successful fall climb was in 2010 by American Eric Larsen. But Andrews sees upside: fewer crowds, potentially safer snow-covered slopes, and a cleaner route.
This time, he’s stripping away support and going solo. “I need to treat this like a backpacking trip, not an ultra marathon,” he said. “Complexity is a killer.”
He’ll arrive in late September, train at 21,200-foot Mera Peak, then wait for a weather break. When it comes, a helicopter will drop him at Base Camp for a direct push to the top.
Andrews isn’t entertaining failure. “I am 100 percent sure I’m capable of doing this thing.”
