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Two Britons among first foreigners to summit Everest in two years Climber breaks British record for reaching Everest peak
(about 2 hours later)
Officials say two Britons and a Mexican, with three Nepalese guides, have become the first foreigners to reach the summit of Mount Everest in two years. A professional climber has broken the British record for summiting Mount Everest, reaching the top of the world’s highest mountain for the 12th time on the first trip involving foreign climbers in two years.
Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association said the six climbers reached the 8,850m (29,035ft) peak early on Thursday and were already returning to lower camps. Related: Sherpa: Norbu Tenzing on the Everest 'circus' and the inevitability of another disaster
The climbers were named as Kenton Cool and Robert Richard Lucas from Britain, and David Liaño Gonzalez from Mexico. Kenton Cool, 42, was joined by two Sherpas and another Briton, Robert Lucas. The Brits are also the first foreign climbers to reach the 8,850 metre (29,035ft) peak this season, after a group of Sherpa guides fixing ropes got to the top on Wednesday.
A group of nine Nepalese guides fixing ropes for their foreign clients reached the summit on Wednesday. David Liaño Gonzalez, a Mexican, and his guide made the top 10 minutes later. It was the sixth successful summit for Gonzalez, who has climbed the mountain from both sides.
Last year’s climbing season was cancelled after an avalanche triggered by a powerful earthquake killed at least 18 climbers at base camp. In 2014, 16 Sherpa climbing guides were killed by an avalanche in the dangerous Khumbu icefall. Confirming the successful ascents, Gyanendra Shrestha, a Nepalese Tourism Ministry official, said: “They have become the first foreigners to reach the top of Everest after two years. Three foreigners and three Nepalese have climbed Everest this morning.”
About a dozen climbers were expected to try for the summit on Thursday, out of about 289 hoping to attempt Everest this year.
According to Himalayan Guides, a commercial guiding company, Cool and his party left for their summit attempt as soon as the Sherpa team fixing ropes to the summit had returned from their efforts on Wednesday.
The ascents mark the return of foreign climbing expeditions to Everest’s summit following two seasons marked by tragedies on the mountain.
In 2014 a massive avalanche near Everest base camp killed 16 Nepali guides, after which expeditions were called off. In April 2015 avalanches triggered by a devastating earthquake claimed the lives of 19 climbers, including high-altitude guides and helpers at the base camp. Everest’s closure for a successive year was an economic blow for a country in which mountaineering is big business; the Nepalese government charges climbers $11,000 (£7,600) for permits to climb Everest.
Speaking after Thursday morning’s ascents, Iswari Paudel, owner of Himalayan Guides, said in an interview with Nepalese media: “In the last two years, I have lost 14 sherpas in two disasters on Everest. All of us in the climbing community – locals and westerners – were so sad. We really wanted to send out a positive message to the world this year … and today’s summit is very good news.”