Kenton Cool has previously skied down an 8,000-metre mountain A mountaineer from Gloucestershire has scaled Everest for the eighth time, breaking his own British record. Kenton Cool, 36, from Fairford, completed the challenge earlier at about 0600 local time (0100 BST). He was leading an expedition of four others including Berkshire's Bonita Norris, 22, who has become the youngest British woman to reach the summit. Mr Cool's wife Jazz said the group, accompanied by Sherpa supporters, had left base camp on Thursday. Mrs Cool, who is expecting the couple's first child in about five weeks' time, said: "I got a call from the summit last night and he sounded absolutely jubilant and really delighted that he had managed it for the eighth time." Bonita Norris is the youngest British woman to reach the summit She said everyone in the expedition had reached the peak. Ms Norris, from Wokingham, reached the summit at about 1130 local time (0630 BST), she added. Ms Norris' mother Jacqui Andrews said: "We are so proud of Bonita in completing this amazing achievement. "When Bonita told us back in 2008 that she wanted to climb Mount Everest, I have to admit we had reservations - it's such a dangerous thing for anyone, yet alone our daughter, to undertake. "But, despite our initial misgivings, we've been behind Bonita every step of the way and we can't wait to welcome her home in a couple of days' time." The other members of the expedition are two American men and an Australian woman. In 2006, Mr Cool became the first Briton to ski down from the summit of an 8,000-metre peak in Tibet. In 2007, he became the first British guide to successfully lead a client up the North Face of the Eiger in Switzerland, commonly referred to as the "Death Wall". The client was Sir Ranulph Fiennes and the expedition raised £2m for the charity Marie Curie Cancer Care.



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