On May 19, British mountaineer and explorer Kenton Cool achieved his 11th ascent of Mount Everest, setting a world record.
Reports say that Cool and his guide Dorje reached the summit at 2 a.m. on the 19th. He posted on social media site Facebook: “Dorje (the guide) and I climbed to the roof of the world in complete darkness with just the essentials.” “It’s a pity it was so early and we didn’t see the sunrise, but sitting alone with a friend at the top in total silence is also an honor. It reminded me of Hillary and Tenzing (the first people to summit Everest).”
Cool not only holds the record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak, but is also aiming to set a new record by climbing three peaks in ten consecutive days. Last May, Kenton successfully carried an Olympic gold medal to the top of Everest. In addition to Everest, which stands at 8,848 meters, he has also summited Nuptse, at 7,861 meters on the mountain’s western side, and next he will attempt to climb Lhotse, which rises to 8,516 meters. If successful, he will be the first climber to achieve this feat.
Cool’s last Everest climb was also historic, as he carried an Olympic gold medal to the roof of the world, fulfilling the dream of 12 Britons and one Australian who were the first to attempt to conquer Everest. In 1922, this group of climbers set out for Mount Everest. Although they were forced to stop just 500 meters from the summit, their feat was widely praised. It was the first human attempt to conquer Everest. At the Winter Olympics held in France in 1924, to commemorate this achievement, gold medals were awarded to all 13 members of the climbing team.