American climbs rare Everest 'triple crown'

KATHMANDU: A renowned US mountain guide has achieved the rare Mount Everest region "triple crown" of climbing the Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse peaks in one season, as the season's death toll on the world's highest mountain hit 12.

Garrett Madison, 44, climbed Lhotse, the world's fourth tallest peak at 27,939 feet on Thursday, a day after he made his 13th ascent of Everest, at 29,032 feet, said Ishwari Paudel of the Himalayan Guides company, which is helping Madison with logistics. Madison climbed the smaller but technically difficult Nuptse peak, at 25,770 feet, on May 8. British climber Kenton Cool, who climbed the triple crown in 2013, said: "I'm happy now that 10 years later it's Garrett who has managed to achieve the same feat ... bravo!!" Cool, 49, last week set a new record of 17 summits of Everest, the world's highest peak, by a foreign climber.