"Andrew Ushakov discusses his remarkable ascent of Mount Everest, defying skepticism from the mountaineering community, and the contributions of an altitude expert in enhancing his speed"
Fun, Fearless, Fabulous Everest Conqueror!
Brace yourselves, folks! In a gutsy ascent that's set to go down in climbing history, Andrew Ushakov, a Ukrainian-American climber, achieved the unthinkable by becoming the swiftest soul to scale the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest, in just three days, 23 hours, and 7 minutes.
While everyone was keeping a weather eye on a band of badass ex-special forces climbers from the UK, who'd driven a media frenzy with their charity bid utilizing Xenon gas, Ushakov stealthily scaled the peak just after them, smashing the record books with his speedy ascent powered solely by supplemental oxygen.
Amazingly, he managed to conquer the daunting expedition while nursing a broken hand, and without undergoing the usual acclimatization rotations in the mountains. Rain, sleet, or broken bones, this time-crunched father and engineer gives Monty Python's Black Knight a run for his money with his never-say-never spirit!
We grabbed a few minutes with the incredible Andrrew Ushakov to chat about his thrilling journey, the keys to his success, and the ins and outs of accelerated ascents.
Congrats on your extraordinary Everest summit! How are you feeling, champ?
Give me a high-five! I'm doing great now. You know, traditional Everest expeditions can last up to 50 days, but my shortcut adventure was a breeze. I recovered lickety-split!
You had a heartbreakingly close call in 2024, when you had to turn back only 300m from the top due to a vision loss. How does it feel in 2025 to have finally scaled the summit?
A massive weight's been lifted off my shoulders, mate! Plenty of folks in the mountaineering world said it was impossible, but here I am! I hope my victory proves that being a pro athlete or an unstoppable adventurer ain't a prerequisite for the extraordinary. You can still maintain a career and family and do something insane that pushes your limits!
And yes, I did conquer Everest with a broken arm – I shattered it seven places in a recent avalanche, but my docs gave me a clean bill of health before the climb.
So, when did you first entertain the notion of annihilating the record for the fastest ascent from sea level?
In the summer of 2023, to be exact. After climbing Denali, which took 20 days, yeesh, I realized leaving my family and job for 50 days for Everest was a tad excessive. I started browsing around and stumbled upon Roxanne Vogel, a Californian lady who completed the round trip in 14 days. Armed with that tantalizing tidbit, I got in touch with Dr. Irina Zelenkova, a sports medical whiz based in Barcelona, and together we hatched a plan to scale Everest faster than the standard 50 days!
Dr. Irina initially aimed to shave the climb down to a more manageable three to four weeks, but she wasn't sure if it could be done any quicker. Roxanne's documented exploits revealed she used an altitude chamber for pre-climb preparation along with a hypoxic tent and mask.
Enter the hypoxic tent: what's it all about?
Working alongside Dr. Irina, I invested about 400 hours in the tent, snoozing, pumping iron, and running like a hamster on a wheel in there. Here's the lowdown on my techniques:
Zzz's: I decked the place out with a thick mattress, so it was like catching some Zs in cloud nine.
Workout Warrior: To tackle those unusually high mountain steps, you gotta work out anyway, right? The twist was donning a mask linked to a generator for my workouts, just like in techno-diving, challenging your limits to explore darker depths. It requires some practice, but as they say, "where there's a will, there's a way!"
What other training techniques did you employ?
Along with slumbering in a hypoxic tent and hitting the gym like a naggin' boss, I made sure I had a healthy diet, sufficient sleep, loads of H2O, fresh air, and vitamins to help fuel my body.
So, for those skeptical about hypoxic tents, whatcha got to say?
Hypoxic tents are the real deal, dude. I ain't just saying this to promote my own achievement, but it's a powerful tool for climbers. I didn't just prove it was possible to conquer Everest in under four days (including traveling from New York) – I want to show this is a viable option for others. If ordinary people like me can scale Everest in a tenth of the time, it's only gonna get easier!
As for health risks, I'd say the opposite is true. Preparing for a mountain adventure in a simulated altitude chamber beforehand is a bloody good health check! If there are any hidden health issues, you can detect 'em, treat 'em, and put off scaling the mountain until you're one hundred percent, instead of gambling with your life up high.
What's your reaction to critiques claiming you're setting a dangerous precedent for climbers or that you're exploiting the science?
Listen, I admit my achievement could be risky for those without the same level of preparation and commitment as me. I climbed Everest in under four days as a demonstration, mostly to myself. In my opinion, the safe zone lies anywhere between 10 to 20 days, with at least six to eight weeks of preparation.
What I've done is show it's possible to bypass spending 40 to 50 days on the mountain by pre-acclimatizing at home.
Why did you tap Elite Exped as your expedition company?
This was my first time partnering with Elite Exped, and I can't recommend them enough. They rocked the house! Nimsdai Purja inspired my project with his remarkable "Project Possible" – his quest to summit all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters in seven months. He showed it was possible – before him, the record was seven years. My project emphasizes showing the way, not setting the record.
However, I climbed without Nimsdai himself, but with another guide from his team, TJ.
By the way, you got stopped and cuffed at Tribhuvan International Airport for carrying a hefty stash of undeclared U.S. currency. Can you spill the tea about that little adventure?
Well, don't get too excited. I can't reveal too much, but I'm cooperating with law enforcement to clear up the situation.
What's in store for you next, big guy?
Probably K2 in 2026. Keep tabs on me through my social media platforms or my website;www.everestseatosummit.com!
Elevated Acclimatization: Hypoxic Training Systems
Andrew Ushakov shed some light on his impressive ascent, revealing he'd used cutting-edge altitude simulation technology from Hypoxico, a specialist company. "The ability to acclimatize at home allowed me to attempt and complete this climb in a fraction of the traditional time," he shared.
We managed to snag a chat with Hypoxico CEO, Brian Oestrike, to discuss the reality of preparing for daunting ascents using altitude training systems.
Did you anticipate an astounding climb like Andrew's using altitude training systems?
To be honest, we weren't aware of Andrew's plans for a record-breaking ascent. However, we did have a hunch based on his query pattern that he was gearing up for something significant. Still, we were utterly blown away when we learned the news! We knew it was a possibility, but the logistical aspect of getting to the mountain quickly was the real challenge.
How long before an expedition should a climber begin using a hypoxic tent?
It all depends on the summit goal and the duration of the expedition. Generally, it's common to use hypoxic tents for about six weeks prior to a climb. For taller peaks like Everest, extended periods of time could make more sense. Many of our clients and athletes use our equipment for endurance training – for example, some training for Everest can utilize our gear for extended periods, sometimes years!
Are there any negative side effects?
The side effects are pretty much like real altitude sickness, alright? If you jump high too fast, you're not gonna catch those winks, could even get mild headaches or dehydration.
Hypoxic tents: when in the climbing community did they first become popular?
When I hit basecamp in 2008, no one was using hypoxic tents. Everybody was acclimatizing on the mountain. We didn't really see this take off until Adrian Ballinger pioneered the technique around 2012.
We hear around 250 climbers in this Everest season have trained using hypoxic systems – is this the most ever?
It could well be over 250 climbers using hypoxic tents this year. Growth in the adoption of hypoxic tents has certainly been on the rise over the last decade, and with more climbers embracing rapid ascents, there's a likelihood this trend will continue.
How will this trend affect the Everest and other high-profile peak climbing scenes in the future?
We'll undoubtedly witness more hypoxic tents in the future. I suspect the trend toward shorter expeditions will persist. After all, who wouldn't want to nab the summit and jet back home faster?
*With his groundbreaking ascent of Mount Everest, Andrew Ushakov showcased the fusion of sports and technology, as he trained using a hypoxic tent by Hypoxico.* The ability to acclimatize at home gave him an edge, allowing him to conquer the world's tallest peak in a fraction of the conventional time.
