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Kilian Jornet climbs Mount Everest in incredible 26 hours

Endurance athlete Kilian Jornet climbed the Tibetan side of Mount Everest on Monday in a blistering 26 hours without oxygen aid.

Endurance athlete Kilian Jornet climbed the Tibetan side of Mount Everest on Monday in a blistering 26 hours without oxygen aid and fixed ropes.

Less than 200 people have successfully scaled Everest without oxygen aid. Many climbers take two to three weeks to climb Everest. 

This was Jornet's second attempt at scaling Everest. He first gave it a try in September 2016 but turned back due to bad weather conditions.

Jornet, 29, claims that his climb from the base camp (5,100 meters) to the summit (8,484 meters) is the fastest known time. Records are hard t keep track of. In 2004, Pemba Dorhe Sherpa claimed to have scaled Everest up the South Col in just over eight hours. That claim has never been verified.

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Jornet has also posted fast times in ascending Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Denali, Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.

Five climbers have died on Mount Everest in the past month. On April 30, Swiss climbing legend Ueli Steck died after falling while preparing to climb the world's highest mountain.