LONDON, May 23. /TASS/. Nepal intends to investigate ex-British Special Forces soldiers, including the veterans minister Al Carns, for using xenon gas to climb Mount Everest, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The state located in the Himalayas became interested in the record set by former British Marines. On May 21, they said they had conquered Mount Everest in five days, using xenon for accelerated acclimatization. The ascent usually takes about two months. It is believed that xenon stimulates more active production of red blood cells, which can accelerate acclimatization.
In preparation for the ascent, the British spent two weeks in Germany in special low-oxygen training tents, inhaling xenon, before going to the mountains. They did not take the gas with them to Nepal.
"We are investigating the travel agency and the climbers who used xenon gas for scaling Everest," Narayan Prasad Regmi, Nepal’s tourism chief, told The Telegraph.
"We will summon them, including the British minister, and take action as deemed fit under the law," he added.
He said xenon gas has never been used by climbers in Nepal, and that there was a need for a clear legislation on whether it should be banned.
"All climbers and expedition organizers are required to declare the substances and equipment they use," Regmi said.
Carns told The Telegraph he was not under investigation by the Nepali government and that he had used xenon gas weeks before arriving at the mountain.
As The Daily Telegraph notes, in January, the International Union of Mountaineering Associations said there was no evidence that inhaling xenon improves physical fitness for climbing mountains. On the contrary, it said improper use of xenon can be dangerous.