FOUR MEN TO CLIMB MT. EVEREST IN A WEEK

Four British men are planning to hop on a plane today (Friday 5/16) in London, fly 4,600 miles to Kathmandu in Nepal and then board a helicopter to Mount Everest’s base camp. From there, they’ll climb to the top – three days up, two days down, then fly home. Door to door, in a record seven days. Everest typically requires weeks of altitude acclimatization before climbers can attempt it because, starting at 26,200 feet, there is insufficient oxygen to sustain life. Climbers can become acutely hypoxic, with brain function severely impaired. But for months, these climbers have been sleeping in home hypoxic tents that gradually lower their oxygen levels, simulating high altitudes. They are also using xenon gas, which some scientists believe could boost red blood cell production and help speed altitude acclimatization.
* In this hurry-up, gotta-have-it now world, who has time to train properly to climb Mount Everest?
* They want to be home in time for next week’s episode of “Poker Face”, and I can understand that.
* After this, they’re going to tour the entire Louvre museum on e-scooters, should take about 45 minutes.