An American ultrarunner just rewrote the history books on the world’s highest mountain — and it took him eight attempts, three expeditions, and more than six figures of his own money to do it.
On May 28, 2026, 36-year-old Tyler Andrews stood on the summit of Mount Everest after climbing from Base Camp in just 9 hours and 55 minutes — shattering a 23-year-old speed record by more than an hour.
But the road to that moment was anything but clean.
From blown boot zippers at 24,000 feet to brutal weather retreats and six months of soul-crushing reset, Andrews’ story is one of obsession, sacrifice, and an achievement that’s already sparking controversy in the climbing world.
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Eight Tries to Make History
Andrews had originally set his sights on something even more audacious — the no-supplemental-oxygen speed record, a mark set by Kaji Sherpa way back in 1998 at 20 hours and 24 minutes that has stood untouched for nearly three decades.
After years of failed attempts, he pivoted.
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For his final climb, Andrews made the call to use supplemental oxygen — starting as low as Camp I — and pushed at flow rates between four and six liters per minute, significantly higher than what most commercial climbers use.
The result was a historic ascent that broke the overall record set by Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa in 2003 by over an hour.
For every other attempt, I felt just as fit, just as ready, and something always went wrong. I was just kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
When Everything Went Wrong — Repeatedly
Andrews’ first attempt on May 10, 2025 was perhaps his closest brush with the no-oxygen record. He blazed to Camp III at 24,000 feet in a blistering 4 hours and 32 minutes, well ahead of record pace.
Then a zipper broke.
A failed gaiter zipper on his high-altitude boots exposed his foot to the elements in the brutal cold, raising the very real threat of frostbite. He tried to improvise a fix and push on — but ultimately had no choice but to turn back.
Two more attempts that spring were swallowed by bad weather and exhaustion. He returned in autumn 2026 hoping a quieter route would give him an edge, only for heavy snowfall to shut down two more bids.
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Coming back to Kathmandu after both failed expeditions, I was just exhausted. The difference between record chasing and racing is that record chasing is binary. It’s like you do it or you don’t do it. Your life is great, or everything fucking sucks.
The Training That Made Him “The Most Well-Acclimated Person on Earth”
Heading into the spring 2026 season, Andrews was determined to leave nothing on the table.
He completed grueling acclimatization laps on Mera Peak and Makalu — the world’s fifth-highest mountain — then spent long daily sessions on a stationary bike breathing through a hypoxic system simulating an altitude of roughly 36,000 feet.
I think I was probably the most well-acclimated person on Earth. I’m not trying to be arrogant, but I was using the hypoxic generator for the last month at 11,000 meters every day — that’s ten hours a week, on a bicycle.
His team timed their final window carefully, betting on a late-season slot when most climbers would already be off the mountain.
The gamble worked. When Andrews made his record-breaking push on May 27-28, the route was nearly empty.
The Night That Changed Everything
Andrews left Base Camp for the final time at 7:11 P.M. on May 27. He topped out of the notoriously dangerous Khumbu Icefall in just over two hours, strapped on oxygen at Camp I, and ran across the Western Cwm.
The pace was relentless.
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Past Camp III in just over an hour from Camp II. Past Camp IV two hours after that. Then nearly three hours of climbing through spreading daylight up the Southeast Ridge to the very top of the world.
At 5:06 A.M. on May 28, Tyler Andrews became the fastest person in history to climb Everest from Base Camp to the summit.
I was thinking about the descent the whole climb. I knew that I had gotten the ascent record. Even if I died on the way down, I thought, at least I have that.
He didn’t linger at the top. The Khumbu Icefall — increasingly unstable in the heat of day — was waiting for him on the way down.
I’ve never enjoyed being in the icefall. But it was pretty fucked up there this year. I booked it through the icefall on the way down in an hour. A really stressful hour.
Andrews touched down at Base Camp at 11:44 A.M., completing the full round trip — including roughly 25 minutes on the summit — in 16 hours and 32 minutes.
The Oxygen Debate — And Why Andrews Doesn’t Care
Not everyone in the climbing community has celebrated without reservation.
When Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa set his 2003 record, he used supplemental oxygen only above Camp IV and at far lower flow rates than current technology allows. Andrews, by contrast, began using oxygen at Camp I and climbed at rates that significantly outpace what most Everest climbers — commercial or otherwise — typically use.
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Andrews is completely unmoved by the criticism.
I don’t have any remorse about my decision. At the end of the day, I pushed myself just as hard with oxygen as I would have without. I wanted to do something that I was going to be satisfied with, and that I could come down the mountain and be proud of. That’s how I feel. I honestly could not care less about what anyone else thinks about what I did.
His reasoning for abandoning the no-oxygen attempt on that final day was blunt and safety-driven. A slower ascent without gas would have meant summiting in an incoming snowstorm and descending alone on a closing mountain.
The no gas record was going to take at least 30 hours round trip, even in fast conditions. So we’re going to summit in the afternoon in a snowstorm and then come down in that snowstorm with no one on the mountain? It just felt too tight for us from a safety perspective.
Is Everest Done With Tyler Andrews? Maybe Not Quite.
When asked whether he’d return for a third season to chase the no-oxygen record, Andrews was emphatic — at least about one thing.
I love Everest, but I’m definitely done with the south side. I’ll never go through the icefall again. Period. Even if Elon Musk wants me to take him up, I’m not doing it. It doesn’t matter how much he paid me.
But when the north side of the mountain was raised as an alternative route — one that bypasses the icefall entirely — something shifted in his expression.
Andrews looked up with a tired smile. “It’s definitely not a no.”
