Mount Everest is not a new name for anyone in the world. Being the world’s highest mountain, Everest is also known as “the roof of the world.”
Nepal and Tibet share a border with this mountain. If you are a person who loves trekking, hiking, or expedition, then Mt. Everest has to be at the top of your list.
Till today, over 4,000 people have summitted Mount Everest. Mount Everest is the daredevil’s playground, and if you are one, here are some of the facts you need to know before summitting Mount Everest.
1. Mount Everest Facts: The mountain is named after a British Surveyor
Shortly after the 17th century, when explorers were the national hero and exploration and discovery were the thing, many places lacked names, and people used to point, to indicate areas. A project aimed to measure the Indian Subcontinent began in 1802.
Colonel William Lambton, a surveyor, and a geographer began a triangulation survey. The initial survey was to measure the width of the peninsula of India between Madras and Maharastra. Later named the Great Trigonometrical Survey, in 1819 was succeeded by his assistant George Everest.
The Great Trigonometrical Survey employed thousands of employees. The survey cost a lot of lives during the work, usually from tigers and malaria. George Everest, a British surveyor, and geographer served as Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843.
Amongst them was, Sickdhar, a Calcuttaian working on the computation of data collected by surveyors.
When Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General, glimpsed it from near Darjeeling, Mount Everest was identified as peak XV and a possible contender for the world’s highest peak in 1847.
Numerous computations were recorded over the year by different survey parties. Surveyor Radhanath Sikdar was the first to identify peak XV as the highest mountain with his calculation in 1852.
Only in 1856, the announcement for the highest mountain was made, as the calculations were to be checked repeatedly.
Andrew Waugh proposed the mountain after his predecessor Sir George Everest, in his honor.
In the Nepalese language, Mount Everest is known as ‘Sagarmatha,’ which means ‘Goddess of the Sky.’
2. Mount Everest Facts: Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world
Burj Khalifa, the tallest ever made human marvel with a height of 829.8 meters, wouldn’t even scratch the surface. Mt. Everest is ten times bigger than Burj Khalifa.
In the early ages of aviation, Ralph Johnstone became the first American to die by setting an American flight altitude record at 2582 meters. Surpassing that Mount Denali, at a height of 6,168 meters located in Alaska, is the highest mountain peak in North America.
At around 7620 meters, standard helicopters reach the maximum altitude. The death zone of Mount Everest, at a height of above 8000 meters, has claimed many lives before reaching Everest.
Standing at a breathtaking height of 8848.86 meters, Everest is incomparable to anything ever known to a man.
3. Mount Everest Facts: Mount Everest is growing every year
Mount Everest grows 4 mm high every year and 40 centimeters (16 inches) per century. It is due to the movement of tectonic plates upon which Everest stands.
Thus, Everest will continue to be the highest mountain in the world.
4. Mount Everest Facts: Tenzing Norge and Edmund Hillary were the first people to summit Mount Everest
After 1921 when the first British expedition was organized primarily for mapping and surveillance, 11 attempts were made to reach the world’s top.
It wasn’t until the year 1953 that Tenzing Norge Sherpa and Edmund Hillary became the first people to set their foot on the peak of Everest. Both of them trained for years after failing earlier expeditions. It was the ninth British expedition, led by John Hunt, with two pairs of climbers.
However, Edmund and Tenzing were the second pair of climbers from the group. The first pair of climbers was Charles Evans and Tom Bourdillion, who achieved 8750 meters, 100 meters below the final summit.
Due to oxygen equipment problems and lack of time, they could not go any further.
5. Mount Everest Facts: Over 6871 ascents have been attempted so far
More and more people are attracted to the top of the world, with a tentative figure of 1000 climbers trying to summit Mount Everest. With a success rate of only 29%, only half of them reach the summit of Everest.
As a whole, 6871 ascents have been done by over 4042 people since Edmund and Tenzing, which means some climbers reached the top multiple times.
6. Mount Everest Facts: There are over 200 dead bodies on Mount Everest
Besides having less oxygen and the potential for long falls from cliffs, Mount Everest climbers suffer from the effects of the extremely high altitude.
Many people mark Mount Everest as their final resting place. It is recorded that more than 300 climbers have lost their lives on the verge of the summit of Everest. The majority of Nepalese are the ones to lose their life the most in Everest, with 111 climbers dying among the 300 mountaineers.
Avalanches are the greatest cause of death; suffocation, fatigue, and starvation are the latter reasons.
So far, there are over 306 corpses on Mount Everest, of which many serve as landmarks.
These bodies are impossible to move due to their weight.
7. Mount Everest Facts: Mount Everest has a place called ‘Death Zone’.
The area above 8,000 meters of Mount Everest is known as the ‘Death Zone’ due to the lack of oxygen, cold, and exhaustion.
On the brighter side, the death rate of mountain climbers is declining due to the development of mountaineering gear and accurate weather forecasts.
8. Mount Everest Facts: The world’s highest cleaning campaign was organized in Mount Everest
Being the highest mountain, it attracts many people from around the globe each year. Over the years, Mount Everest has suffered increasing pollution, with climbers leaving behind empty gas canisters, tents, food wrappers, and human feces.
The world’s highest cleaning campaign began on April 14 which lasted for 45 days. A specialized team of 14 members collected three metric tons of garbage, including discarded climbing gears, plastic cans, and bottles.
9. Mount Everest Facts: Kami Rita has summited Everest 25 times
Most of the adventurers wouldn’t mind visualizing the summit of the world. Only a few get to reveal reality. Amongst them is Kami Rita.
Born in 1970, Kami Rita, a Nepalese Sherpa guide was the holder of the prestige title “Guinness Most Ascent of Everest.”
On May 15, 2019, he summited Everest and returned to base camp before returning once more, for the second time in one week. He successfully ascended the peak of Everest for the 24th time, breaking his own world record,
He has summited others as well, some of them being k2, Cho-Oyu, Manaslu, Annapurna, and Lhotse.
In 2015, he summited Everest for the 25th time and broke his record again.
10. Mount Everest Facts: The youngest person to summit Mount Everest is 13 years old
The summiteers are mostly of middle age, apart from these two people.
Jordan Romero from the USA climbed Mount Everest at 13 with his father, step-mother, and three sherpas.
Yuichiro Miura is the oldest to climb Mount Everest, at the age of 80 in 2013. He broke his record to summit Everest, which was set in 2003 when he was 70. He is also the same guy who skied down Everest in 1971.
11. Mount Everest Facts: Even a blind person can summit Mount Everest
A blind person named Erik Weihenmayer from the United States has reached the summit in 2001.
12. Mount Everest Facts: Mount Everest is not the highest mountain when measured from below sea level
Everest is known as the highest mountain in the world when measured above sea level. However, Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano mountain is 10,210 meters (33,500 ft) high when measured from its base, located at the bottom of the ocean.
13. Mount Everest Facts: Summiting Mount Everest takes two months
You cannot climb Mount Everest straightaway. Summiting Mount Everest requires lots of acclimatization days. Then, it takes two weeks to reach the Everest Base Camp itself.
It takes a total of 10 weeks, where you will have to train from base camps time and again to adapt yourself to the high altitude.
14. Mount Everest Facts: Climbers have to follow the two o’clock rule
Climbers follow the ‘two o’clock rule’ when summiting Mount Everest.
The rule states that you need to get to the summit by 2 PM, or you will have to return back due to the cold and unpredictable weather, which may cause accidents.
15. Mount Everest Facts: There is network connection in Mount Everest
Mount Everest has 4G coverage and wifi services. A hiker named Kenton Cool was the first person to tweet from the peak.
16. Mount Everest Facts: The wind blows at a speed of 200 mph
The speed of the wind at Mount Everest is 200 mph. Mount Everest is exposed to the fast and freezing winds of the jet stream as the mountain’s peak extends into the troposphere and penetrates up to the stratosphere.
17. Mount Everest Facts: You may have been pronouncing Mount Everest wrong
The peak is pronounced as “Ever-est,” not “Eve-rest.”
Besides, Nepalese call it Sagarmatha, which means “Goddess of the Sky.” On the other hand, Tibetans call Everest Chomolungma, which means “Goddess Mother of Mountains.”
18. Mount Everest Facts: Mount Everest is more than 60 million years old
The mountain was formed by the upward force caused by the collision of Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. This process pushed the rocks and created the highest mountain in the world over some 60 million years ago.
19. Mount Everest Facts: The summit is about as big as a dining room table
For people wondering how much space there is at the summit, we have got you covered.
The summit made up of rock, ice, and snow is the size of a dining-room table.
20. Mount Everest Facts: Climbing Mount Everest costs a fortune
Mount Everest sure is a thrilling experience; however, it is also heavy on your budget. It costs somewhere from $28k to $85k for a standard supported climb to Mount Everest. If you wish for more support and facilities, expect to pay around $115k.
These costs will get you transportation, food, guides, potters, supplemental oxygen, and base camp tents.
21. Mount Everest Facts: A Nepali man climbed Mount Everest in 8 hours and 10 minutes
On May 21, 2004, Pemba Dorje Sherpa summited Mount Everest from the base camp in 8 hours and 10 minutes, making him the Guinness World Record holder of the fastest-ever ascent to Mount Everest.
22. Mount Everest Facts: You can summit Mount Everest from 18 different routes
Most climbers climb from two major routes known as Southeast Ridge (Nepal-side) and North Ridge (Tibetan side).
For people seeking an additional thrill, 18 different routes have their own set of challenges.
23. Mount Everest Facts: Climbers need to increase their calorie intake with the increase in elevation
Mountaineers eat 8,000-10,000 calories per day. They need to snack a lot to maintain their energy levels as they burn five times more than they usually do at home.
Climbers eat meat, crackers, cheese, fruits, granola, and more.
24. Mount Everest Facts: People can climb Everest without supplemental oxygen
Most mountaineers climb Everest with bottled oxygen since the air density at the higher altitude is very thin. However, it is possible to climb without supplemental oxygen too. All you need is a lot of practice and acclimatization.
Peter Habeler and Reinhold Messner were the first people to climb Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen in 1978. Reinhold even stayed 40 minutes on the summit.
25. Mount Everest Facts: Mount Everest has a place named Rainbow Valley
Rainbow Valley is located above 8,000 meters on Everest. Here, many dead bodies lay with their different colored jackets and equipment, making the place look colorful.
26. Mount Everest Facts: Helicopters are unable to fly to the summit of Mount Everest
Due to the low density of the air in Mount Everest’s summit, the helicopters cannot achieve lift. Even the high-performance helicopters can only reach the lowest of Everest Base Camps (5,300m).
Fortunately, a fighter pilot named Didier Delsalle landed a helicopter on Everest’s summit once and made the record on May 14, 2005. Since then, this record has not been broken
Airplanes can fly over Mount Everest, but there is a risk of turbulence.
Thus, if need be for a helicopter evacuation from Everest, consider it impossible.
27. Mount Everest Facts: ‘Everest’ movie was partially filmed on Mount Everest
Everest (2015) is a movie based on the true story of the mountain disaster in 1996. The movie stars several phenomenal actors like Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Josh Brolin.
The movie was partly filmed on Everest at an altitude of 4,750 meters, not far from the Everest Base Camp. Other scenes were shot in studios.
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