Everest climbers set a world record for highest tea party. Video / Supplied
A group of adventurers took the 'high' part of a high tea quite literally after throwing a party 6496 metres above sea level at Mount Everest's Camp 2 last year.
This month the feat has officially been recognized as the world's highest tea party by Guinness World Record.
Completed by a team of 15 climbers on May 5, 2021, the record to beat is now 6496 metres above sea level, or the same height as 20 Skytowers stacked upon one another.
One of the climbers, Andrew Hughes, said the idea came during the start of the pandemic.
After travel restrictions meant many expeditions were cancelled, the high-endurance athlete from Seattle finally had time to reflect on his relationship to climbing. It was then he realised the draw wasn't necessarily the climb or the summit but the community around the sport.
The choice of tea was also a special one, said Hughes.
"Tea on the mountain and in Nepal is more than the warmth within each cup but a means which we come together and connect at the lodges along the trek into Everest Base Camp and while on the mountain."
Hughes said he hoped the record would "inspire others to seek their own dreams, no matter the heights."
It was a challenge for the team to keep their treats in tact, but worthwhile. Photo / Andrew Hughes
The tea party broke the previous record by thousands of feet in altitude but wasn't without several challenges.
Not only did the team have to climb through large snowfalls and across frozen waterfalls, they had to do so without turning their cookies and treats into crumbs. After travelling by plane, yak, and mountaineering backpack, the Girl Scout cookies Hughes brought from Seattle were better travelled than most tourists.
Despite the difficulties, Hughes said it was all worthwhile in the end.
"The record will forever immortalise an unforgettable moment and experience in my life," said Hughes, who then summited Everest two weeks later.
'Hughes' Highest Tea Party Team' consisted of 15 climbers; Andrew Hughes, Ronan Murphy, Kristin Bennett, Garrett Madison, Sid Pattison, Robert Smith, Art Muir, Helen Cokie Berenyi, Krisli Melesk, Ben Veres, Kevin Walsh, Kristin Harila, Mark Pattison, Rick Irvine, James Walker.
The hijinks and high tea is not the only balmy reccord attempt to have taken place on the side of Everest. In 2018 an attempt to hold the 'highest meal on earth' was held at 7,050m, serving lamb and champagne with lashings of frost nip at -25 Celcius. The party led by Neil Laughton were raising funds for the charity Community Action Nepal.
