MOUNT
EVEREST
MOUNT
EVEREST |
|
|
| Other names/spellings |
Sagarmatha (Nepal) |
| Elevation (feet) |
29,035 |
| Elevation (meters) |
8,850 |
| Location |
Himalaya |
| Latitude |
27' 59' N |
| Longitude |
86' 56' E |
| Best Climbing Months |
April, May (pre-monsoon) |
| Year First Climbed |
1953 |
| First Climber(s) |
Edmund Hillary |
| Convenient Center(s) |
Namche Bazar, Nepal |
| Nearest Major Airport |
Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Importance |
Highest Mountain In The World |
| Best Trek Season |
April To May |
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Its elevation of 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) was determined using GPS satellite equipment on May 5, 1999. It was previously believed to be slightly lower (29,028 feet /8,848 meters), as determined in 1954 by averaging measurements from various sites around the mountain. The new elevation has been confirmed by the National Geographic Society (See the National Geographic Society's Mount Everest site for more information).
The first seven attempts on Everest, starting with a reconnaissance in 1921, approached the mountain from Tibet, where a route to the summit via the North Col and North Ridge seemed possible. All were unsuccessful. George Mallory, who spearheaded the first three expeditions, lost his life with Andrew Irvine during a failed ascent in 1924. Unsuccessful attempts continued through 1938, then halted during World War II. By the war's end, Tibet had closed its borders, and Nepal, previously inaccessible, had done the opposite. Starting in 1951, expeditions from Nepal grew closer and closer to the summit, via the Khumbu Icefall, the Western Cwm, over the Geneva Spur to the South Col, and up the Southeast Ridge. In 1953 Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit.
Since the first successful ascent, many other individuals have sought to be the first at various other accomplishments on Everest, including many alternative routes on both the north and south sides. Italy's Reinhold Messner has climbed Everest twice without oxygen, once in four days. He is also the first to solo climb Everest, which he did in 1980. Ten years earlier, Yuichiro Miura of Japan had been the first person to descend the mountain on skis. In 1975, Junko Tabei, also of Japan, was the first woman to climb Everest. The first disabled person to attempt Everest was American Tom Whittaker, who climbed with a prosthetic leg to 24,000 feet in 1989, 28,000 feet in 1995, and finally reached the summit in 1998. The record for most ascents belongs to Sherpa Ang Rita, who has reached the summit ten times.
Overall, more than 600 climbers from 20 countries have climbed to the summit by various routes from both north and south. Climbers' ages have ranged from nineteen years to sixty. At least 100 people have perished, most commonly by avalanches, falls in crevasses, cold, or the effects of thin air.
Climbing on Everest is very strictly regulated by both the Nepalese and Chinese governments. Permits cost thousands of U.S. dollars ($50,000 for a seven member party in 1996), and are difficult to obtain, and waiting lists extend for years. Treks to Everest base camp, minus the summit attempt, are becoming increasingly popular on both the north and south sides of the mountain. On the north side, a Buddhist monastery stands at the foot of the Rongbuk Glacier, beneath Everest's spectacular north face. The monastery is one of two whose locations were selected specifically to allow religious contemplation of the great peak. The other is the Thyangboche Monastery in Nepal. The once-active Rongbuk monastery in Tibet has required much rejuvenation from the destruction it experienced following China's invasion of Tibet.
Mount Everest is also known by the Tibetan name Chomolangma (Goddess Mother of the Snows), and by the Nepali name Sagarmatha (Mother of the Universe).
The First Conquers Of The Mount Everest
English climbers were the first ones to conquer the Mouth Everest debacle.
Before World War II, three English expeditions were sent to the north of
Himalayas, which is the Tibetan side of the Mount Everest. Twice the climbers
reached the altitude of 8,600m, but unfortunately failed to summit.
The southern side of the Mount Everest, that is the Nepalese side of the
mountain was opened to the mountaineers after World War II. After the
occupation of Tibet by China, the mountaineering expeditions toward Mount
Everest began from the Nepalese side. On 29th May, 1953, after three decades of
immense attempts, man finally reached the highest-lying point on Earth. The
winning team of the first climbers of the Mount Everest consisted of
Newzealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.
Various Routes To Mount Everest
There had been 15 routes tried out by various trekkers and climbers to the
Mount Everest.
First Summit - May 29, 1953: Tenzing Norgay & Sir Edmund Percival Hillary of New Zealand via the South- East Ridge Route.
May 25, 1960: Chinese team makes first Summit of Mount Everest via the North Ridge.
May 22, 1963: The first ascent of the Mount Everest West Ridge, actually the West Ridge/North Face by Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein. Also the first traverse as they descended the South East Ridge/ South Col.
September 24, 1975: Dougal Haston and Doug Scott Summit via the South west face.
May 13, 1979: Andrej Stremfelj and Jernej Zaplotnik reached the Summit via the true West ridge and descend via the Hornbein Couloir.
May 10, 1980: Tsuneoh Shigehiro and Takashi Ozaki made the first full ascent of the North Face (Japanese Couloir to the Hornbein Couloir) of Mount Everest.
May 19, 1980: Jerzy Kukuczka and Andrzej Czok followed the South Pillar on on the right hand edge of the Southwest Face.
August 20, 1980: A solo ascent by Italy's Reinhold Messner 8/20/80 via the North Col to the North Face and the Great Couloir. He climbed for three days entirely alone from his base camp at 6,500m without the use of artificial oxygen via the North Col/North Face route.
May 4, 1982: 11 Russia climbers reached the Summit via the South West Pillar left of the Great Central Gully on the Southwest Face.
October 8, 1983: Lou Reichardt, Kim Momb, and Carlos Buhler reached the Summit via the East or Kangshung face.
October 3, 1984: Australians Tim Macartney-Snape and Greg Mortimer reached the Summit via the North Couloir without bottled oxygen.
May 20, 1986: Canadian Sharon Wood became the first North American woman to Summit Mount Everest and climbed the new route of the west Shoulder from the Rongbuk Glacier and continued on to the Summit via the Hornbein Couloir.
May 12, 1988: British Stephen Venables, climbed a line to the left of the 1983 Kangshung Face route. Actually the East Face-South Col-SE Ridge. Venables was the only member of the expedition to reach the Summit.
May 11th, 1995: The first ascent of the Northeast Ridge on May 11th, completed by Kiyoshi Furuno & Shigeki Imoto of Japan, Dawa Tshering Sherpa, Pasang Sherpa, and Nima Sherpa.
May 20, 1996: The first ascent of the North-Northeast couloir by Peter Kuznetzov, Valeri Kohanov and Grigori Semikolenkov.