Four climbers went up and down Everest in under a week with the help of xenon gas—a record-breaking ascent that has ignited controversy in the mountaineering world.

History is repeating itself in the world of controversial sports records.

Some see a record-breaking ascent by British climbers who used xenon as a breakthrough, but others view it as the latest ...

Mount Everest’s Xenon-Gas Controversy Will Last Forever. Story by Alex Hutchinson • 4d. Updated at 2:45 p.m. ET on June 5, 2025. It was a travesty—two travesties, actually, separate but ...

Forces of tourism on one hand and climate change on the other are posing huge challenges for these marginal environments.

The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. It was a travesty—two ...

It was a travesty—two travesties, actually, separate but inextricably linked. In May 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, a ...

The 2025 Mount Everest season will also be remembered for the unsuccessful attempts by two runners—American Tyler Andrews and Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff—to set a speed record on the peak.