Five Conditions Set by Cheruiyot Kirui Before Climbing Everest Without Supplemental Oxygen

 In a hurry? Here’s a quick summary…

• Kenyan climber Cheruiyot Kirui died just meters from the summit of Mount Everest while attempting to reach the peak without supplementary oxygen; his guide Nawang Sherpa remains missing.

• Despite taking precautions such as carrying emergency oxygen and battling extreme conditions, Kirui's attempt ended tragically, highlighting the severe risks of high-altitude climbing without supplemental oxygen.

Kenyan climber Cheruiyot Kirui’s dream of summiting Mount Everest ended tragically this week when he died just meters away from the peak of the world’s highest mountain. 

Kirui, a banker with KCB, aimed to reach the summit, which stands at 8,848.86 meters above sea level, without using supplementary oxygen. 

He went missing with his guide, a Nepali climber named Nawang Sherpa, on Wednesday at Bishop Rock, located at an altitude of 8,000 meters.

The news of Kirui’s body being found was announced on Thursday morning by the Nepali mountaineering news website Everest Today, while the fate of Sherpa remains unknown. 

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At higher altitudes, Everest is nearly incapable of sustaining human life, and most mountaineers use supplementary oxygen past 7,000 meters. 

Above 8,000 meters, known as the "death zone," the air is extremely thin, temperatures drop below 0°C, and high winds are powerful enough to blow a person off the mountain. 

Climbers in this zone face the risk of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), where the brain is starved of oxygen, causing swelling, drowsiness, difficulty speaking and thinking, blurred vision, and delusions.

Despite these dangers, Kirui had made arrangements for Sherpa to carry an emergency bottle of oxygen to be used only under specific circumstances. 

In a May 17 social media post, Kirui mentioned he was open to using supplemental oxygen if he "went lights out or if I go bananas.

" He also stated he would use supplemental oxygen if he was time-barred, saying, "Too much time in the death zone is dangerous. If I'm not moving strongly or quickly enough then there's no point." He added that he would consider using it in unfavorable weather conditions or if his body reached its limit, acknowledging that "I'm not Superman."

Kirui, who was climbing from the Tibet side of the mountain to avoid traffic, expressed hope that he could avoid using supplemental oxygen but was prepared to weigh his options if necessary. 

According to a 2016 report by National Geographic, fewer than 200 people had summited Everest without oxygen by that time. 

Statistics from the Himalayan Database show that as of January 2024, climbing Everest from the Nepal side has a death toll of 217, while the Tibet side has recorded 110 deaths since 1953. 

Sixty percent of the deaths on the Nepal side involved climbers without supplemental oxygen (130 climbers), while on the Tibet side, 48 climbers without supplemental oxygen died, representing 44 percent of the total deaths.

In a reflective Facebook post, Kirui acknowledged the risks, stating, "This attempt looks a lot like a shot in the dark, but we know where the darkness is, and our shot is aimed in there. 

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As I send my body and spirit up there, I'll sit with the rest of you and wait in anticipation for the outcome. Naturally, the uncertainties add much more to the thrill of this undertaking.

" He also mentioned taking extra measures to battle the cold, including heated gloves, mittens, socks, and spare batteries, and he had obtained medicine for both HACE and high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE)