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Mount Everest

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Everest

Everest from Kala Pattar
Elevation: 8,850 m (29,035 feet)
Ranked 1st
Latitude: 27°59′16″ N
Longitude: 86°56′40″ E
Location: Nepal–Tibet border
Range: Himalaya
First ascent: May 29, 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
Easiest route: South Col (Nepal)

Everest is the highest mountain on Earth (as measured from sea level). The summit ridge of the mountain marks the border between Nepal and Tibet. In Nepali the mountain is called Sagarmatha (Sanskrit for "forehead of the sky") and in Tibetan Chomolangma or Qomolangma ("mother of the universe"), from which derives the Chinese name of 珠穆朗玛峰 (pinyin: Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng). Although it was named Everest by Sir Andrew Waugh, the British surveyor-general of India, in honour of his predecessor Sir George Everest, the popular pronunciation of Everest (Ev-er-est, IPA: [ˈivərɛst]) is different from how Sir George pronounced his own last name (Eve-rest, IPA: [ˈɛvərɛst]).

Measurement

Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician and surveyor from Bengal, was the first to identify Everest as the world's tallest peak through trigonometric calculations, in 1852. Some Indians believe that the peak should be named after Sikdar, not Everest.

The mountain is approximately 8,850 m (29,035 feet; almost 5.5 miles) high, although there is some variation in the measurements (though Nepal government has not officially recognized this measurement, the height of Everest is still considered 8,848 m). It was first measured in 1856 to have a height of 29,000 feet, but declared to be 29,002 feet high. The arbitrary addition of 2 feet reflected the sentiment at the time that an exact height of 29,000 feet would be viewed as nothing more than a rounded estimate. Today's generally accepted value of 8,850 m was obtained via GPS readings. Everest is still growing due to the plate tectonics of the area; however, the effects are significant only on a geological timescale.

To be precise, Everest is the mountain whose summit attains the greatest distance above sea level. Two other mountains are sometimes claimed as alternative "highest mountains on Earth." Mauna Loa in Hawaii is highest when measured from its base; it rises 17 km (58,000 feet) when measured from its base on the mid-ocean floor, but only attains 4,170 m (13,680 feet) above sea level. The summit of Chimborazo in Ecuador is 2,150 m further from the Earth's centre than that of Everest, because the Earth bulges at the Equator. However, Chimborazo attains a height of 6,272 m above sea level, by which criterion it is not even the highest peak of the Andes.

Interestingly enough, the deepest spot in the ocean is deeper than Everest is high: the Challenger Deep, located in the Mariana Trench, is so deep that if Everest were to be placed into it, it would have almost a mile of water covering it.

Climbing routes

Southern and northern climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station.

Mt. Everest has two main climbing routes, the southeast ridge from Nepal and the northwest ridge from Tibet. Of the two, the southeast ridge is technically easier and is the most frequently used route. It was the route used by Hillary and Norgay in 1953. This, was however, a route decision dictated more by politics than by design as the Tibetan border was closed to foreigners in 1949.

The majority of attempts are undertaken during April and May before the summer monsoon season. A change in the jet stream at this time of year also reduces the average wind speeds high on the mountain. While attempts are sometimes made after the monsoons in September and October, the additional snow accumulated from the monsoons adds to the difficulties.

Southeast ridge

The ascent via the southeast ridge begins by a trek to base camp at 5,380 m (17,600 ft) on the south side of Everest in Nepal. Expeditions typically fly into Lukla (2,860m) from Kathmandu and then hike to base camp, which typically takes six to eight days, allowing for proper altitude acclimitization in order to prevent altitude sickness. Climbing equipment and supplies are carried by yaks, dzopkyos and porters to base camp on the Khumbu Glacier. When Hillary and Norgay climbed Everest in 1953, they started from Jiri which, nowadays, takes five to eight days to reach Lukla.

Climbers will spend a couple weeks in base camp, acclimitizing to the altitude. During that time, Sherpas and some expedition climbers will setup ropes and ladders in the treacherous Khumbu Icefall. Seracs and shifting blocks of ice makes the icefall one of the most dangerous sections of the route. Many climbers and sherpas have been killed in this section. To reduce the hazard, climbers will typically begin their ascent well before dawn. Once sunlight reaches the icefall, the danger increases exponentially. Above the icefall is camp I or advanced base camp (ABC) at 6,065m (19,900 ft).

File:Mt Everest cropped els 1991.jpg
West shoulder of Everest and the Khumbu Icefall

From camp I, climbers make their way up the Western Cym to the base of the Lhotse face, where camp II is established at 6,500m (21,300 ft). The Western Cym is a relatively flat, gently rising glacial valley, marked by huge lateral crevasses in the centre which prevent direct access to the upper reaches of the Cym. Climbers are forced to cross on the far right near the base of Nuptse to a small passageway known as the "Nuptse corner". The Western Cym is also called the "Valley of Silence" as the topography of the area routinely cuts off any wind from reaching the climbing route. The high altitude and a clear, windless day can make the Western Cym unbearably hot for climbers.

From camp II, climbers ascend the Lhotse face on fixed ropes up to a small ledge at 7,470 m (24,500 ft). From there, it's another 500 metres to camp IV on the south col at 7,920 m (26,000 ft). From camp III to camp IV, climbers are faced with two additional challenges: The Geneva Spur and The Yellow Band. The Geneva Spur is an anvil shaped rib of black rock named by a 1952 Swiss expedition. Fixed ropes assist climbers in scrambling over this snow covered rock band. The Yellow Band is a section of sedimentary sandstone which also requires about 100 metres of rope for traversing it.

On the south col, climbers have entered the death zone. Climbers typically only have a maximum of two or three days they can endure at this altitude for making summit bids. Clear weather and low winds are critical factors in deciding whether to make a summit attempt. If weather does not cooperate within these short few days, climbers are forced to descend, many all the way back down to base camp.

From camp IV, climbers will begin their summit push around midnight with hopes of reaching the summit (still another 1,000 metres above) within 10 to 12 hours. Climbers will first reach "The Balcony" at 8,400m (27,700 ft), a small platform where they can rest and gaze at peaks to the south and east in the early dawn light. Continuing up the ridge, climbers are then faced with a series of imposing rock steps which usually forces them to the east into waist deep snow, a serious avalanche hazard. At 8,750m (28,700 ft), a small table sized dome of ice and snow marks the south summit.

From the south summit, climbers follow the knife edge south east ridge along what is known as the "Cornice traverse" where snow clings to intermittent rock. This is the most exposed section of the climb as a misstep to the left would send one 2,400m (8,000 ft) down the southwest face while to the immediate right is the 3,050m (10,000 ft) Kangshung face. At the end of this traverse is an imposing 12 m (40 ft) rock wall called the "Hillary Step" at 8,760m (28,750 ft). Hillary and Norgay were the first climbers to ascend this step and they did it with primitive ice climbing equipment and without fixed ropes. Nowadays, climbers will ascend this step using fixed ropes previously setup by Sherpas. Once above the step, it is a comparatively easy plod to the top on moderately angled snow slopes. Climbers will typically spend less than 1/2 hour on "top of the world" as they realize they need to descend to camp IV before darkness sets in or afternoon weather becomes a serious problem.

Northwest ridge

The northwest ridge route begins from the north side of Everest in Tibet. Expeditions trek to the Rongbuk Glacier, setting up base camp at 5,180 m (17,000 ft) on a gravel plain just below the glacier. To reach camp II, climbers ascend the medial moraine of the east Ronguk Glacier up to the base of Changtse at around 6,100 m (20,000 ft). Camp III (ABC) is situated below the north col at 6,500 m (21,300 ft). To reach camp IV on the north col, climbers ascend the glacier to the foot of the col where fixed ropes are used to reach the north col at 7,010 m (23,000 ft). From the north col, climbers ascend the rocky north ridge to setup camp V at around 7,775 m (25,500 ft). The route goes up the north face through a series of gullies and steepens into downsloping slabby terrain before reaching the site of camp VI at 8,230 m (27,000 ft). From camp VI, climbers will make their final summit push. Climbers must first make their way through three rock bands known as First Step, Second Step and Third Step. Once above these steps, the final summit slopes (50 to 60 degrees) to the top.

Ascents

On June 6, 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, both of the United Kingdom, made an attempt on the summit from which they never returned. Noel Odell, the expedition's geologist, saw the pair climbing up "with great alacrity... near the base of the final pyramide" [sic] at 12:50pm that day. In 1979 climber Wang Hongbao of China revealed to a companion that he had discovered a body in 1975 thought to roughly match Irvine's description, but he unfortunately was killed in a fall the very next day before he could provide precise details to anyone else. In 1999 however, the famous Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition found instead Mallory's body in the predicted search area near the old Chinese camp. Controversy has raged in the mountaineering community as to whether the duo may have made it to the top of the world, 29 years before the confirmed ascent (and of course, safe descent) of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. The general consensus among climbers, as voiced by Reinhold Messner, is that they did not; however, as of this writing (2004) another expedition being undertaken by the discoverers of Mallory's body to find Irvine's stands a good likelihood of producing further evidence one way or the other. In particular, the two (probably Irvine, since none was found on Mallory) are known to have carried at least one Kodak 'Vestpocket' camera between them, whose film would still be able to be developed even 80 years later, and may well contain pictures of a successful ascent. Mallory had gone on a speaking tour of the United States the year before in 1923; it was then that he exasperatedly gave the famous reply, "Because it is there," to a New York journalist in response to hearing the question, Why climb Everest? for seemingly the thousandth time.

In 1995 George Mallory II of South Africa (grandson) reached the summit of Everest.

In 1933, Lady Houston, a millionaire ex-showgirl, funded the Houston Everest Flight of 1933, which saw a formation of aeroplanes led by the Marquess of Clydesdale fly over the summit in an effort to deploy the British Union Jack flag at the top.

Early expeditions ascended the mountain from Tibet, via the north face. However, this access was closed to western expeditions in 1950, after the Chinese took over Tibet. During 1951 and 1952 a British led expedition, including Edmund Hillary, travelled into Nepal to survey a new route via the southern face.

Taking their cue from the British, a Swiss expedition attempted to climb via the southern face, but turned back 200 meters short of the summit. Among the assault team was Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

In 1953, a ninth British expedition, led by John Hunt, returned to Nepal. Hunt selected two climbing pairs to attempt to reach the summit. The first pair turned back after becoming exhausted high on the mountain. The next day, the expedition made its second and final assault on the summit with its fittest and most determined climbing pair. The summit was eventually reached at 11:30 am on May 29, 1953 by the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay from Nepal climbing the South Col Route. Although Hillary admits his foot may have been ahead of Tenzing's, both acknowledged it as a team effort by the whole expedition. They paused at the summit to take photographs and bury a few sweets and a small cross in the snow, before descending. News of the expedition's success reached London on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. Returning to Kathmandu a few days later, Hillary and Hunt discovered that they had been promptly knighted for their efforts.

File:Everest From Space NASA.jpg
Everest from space, photographed by Michael Foale from aboard the International Space Station.

On May 16, 1975 Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Everest. On May 25, 2001 Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind climber to do so.

Up to the end of the 2001 climbing season, 1491 people have reached the summit (560 of them since 1998), and there have been 172 climber deaths, the worst year being 1996, when 15 people died trying to reach the summit, and the worst day being in that month killing eight. In May 2004, Kent Moore - a physicist from the University of Toronto - told New Scientist that an analysis of weather conditions on that most lethal day suggests that freak weather caused oxygen levels to plunge by around 14%. The eight who died were part of a group of 26 who were climbing without the aid of supplementary oxygen.

The conditions on the mountain are difficult enough that most of the corpses have been left where they fell, some of them easily visible from the standard climbing routes.

Most expeditions use oxygen masks and tanks ([1]) above 26,000 feet (8,000 m); this region is known as the death zone. Everest can be climbed without supplementary oxygen, but this requires special fitness training and increases the risk to the climber: humans do not think clearly with low oxygen, and the weather, low temperatures and the slopes often require quick, accurate decisions.

Mountain climbers are a significant source of tourist revenue for Nepal; they range from experienced mountaineers to relative novices who count on their paid guides to get them to the top.

Timeline

See also

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