US and Hong Kong climbers set new records on Mount Everest

Climbers from the United States and Hong Kong have set new records as they scaled Mount Everest this week, hiking officials said on Friday.

Arthur Muir, 75, became the oldest American to climb the world’s highest peak at 8 848.86-metres (29,031 feet) on Sunday, an official from the company that organised the expedition said.

Separately, Hong Kong’s Tsang Yin-Hung, 45, scaled the peak in less than 26 hours, the shortest time taken by any woman after starting from the base camp. Usually, climbers spend several days in different camps before reaching the peak.

Hong Kong teacher records fastest Everest ascent by a woman https://t.co/FFmqWvlzaS via @AJEnglish

— Everest Chronicle (@EverestChron) May 28, 2021

“Arthur Muir is the oldest American at 75 years old to summit Mount Everest,” Garrett Madison, expedition leader at the Madison Mountaineering company told Reuters from the base camp.

Arthur Bennett Muir has become the oldest American to scale Mt Everest. Former @NFL athlete Mark Pattison also summits the Everest.https://t.co/x6oqw5kxPu

— Everest Chronicle (@EverestChron) May 23, 2021

Muir beat the record set by Bill Burke, who became the oldest American to climb the mountain at the age of 67 in 2009.

Tsang set out from the base camp at 1:20 pm local time on Saturday and reached the top at 3:10 pm the following day, said Gyanendra Shrestha, a Nepal government official, who returned from the base camp.

She beat the record set by Nepali woman Phunjo Jhangmu Lamain 2017, who climbed Everest in 39 hours and 6 minutes.