Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha by the Nepalese and Chomolungma by the Tibetans(meaning “Goddess mother of the world”) is the highest mountain in the world at 8,850 meters (29,035 feet). Everest is named after Sir George Everest (1790-1866) who was in charge of mapping the area as the chief of the Survey of India. He objected to this name, wanting Everest to be called by its native names. Though we traditionally pronounce Mount Everest as EVER-rest, George Everest pronounced his last name as EVE-rest.
Mount Everest was first explored by Europeans in 1921. Early attempts to climb Mount Everest took place in 1922 and 1924 by the British. Mount Everest was first submitted by two members of a British team, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, on May 29, 1953. The first American team submitted Mount Everest in 1963 and included Jim Whittaker and Nawang Gombu (who together submitted first on May 1), Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein (who together ascended via a new West Ridge route on May 22) and Lute Jerstad and Barry Bishop (who together followed the South Col route established by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay during their 1953 climb and submitted on May 22.
People don’t just climb straight up Mount Everest. Most attempts to reach the summit begin officially at Base Camp, the “home base” area where climbers set up camp for some time in order to adjust to the altitude. There are base camps on both the Tibetan side of Mount Everest and on the Nepalese side. No matter which side they start on, most climbers establish between four and six camps on the mountain above Base Camp where they rest, sleep, store supplies, and get used to the altitude. For weeks they take many trips back and forth between the camps before they attempt their final push to the summit. The most dangerous part of an Everest climb is typically the Khumbu (pronounced KOOM-boo) Ice Fall, an ancient glacier that can have ice as deep as a 12-story building.
Most Everest climbs happen in May, right before the monsoon season of June to September where violent snowstorms and winds of up to 285 km/hr (177 mph) ravage the mountain. That’s like a Category 3 hurricane! It’s also very cold; the top of Mount Everest never gets above freezing. The average temperature at the summit ranges from -36ºC (-33ºF) in January, the coldest month, to -19ºC (-2ºF) in July, the warmest month. Temperatures at Base Camp can be quite warm during the day, however, with climbers even hanging out in t-shirts and jeans.
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| Mount Everest |
Mount Everest was first explored by Europeans in 1921. Early attempts to climb Mount Everest took place in 1922 and 1924 by the British. Mount Everest was first submitted by two members of a British team, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, on May 29, 1953. The first American team submitted Mount Everest in 1963 and included Jim Whittaker and Nawang Gombu (who together submitted first on May 1), Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein (who together ascended via a new West Ridge route on May 22) and Lute Jerstad and Barry Bishop (who together followed the South Col route established by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay during their 1953 climb and submitted on May 22.
People don’t just climb straight up Mount Everest. Most attempts to reach the summit begin officially at Base Camp, the “home base” area where climbers set up camp for some time in order to adjust to the altitude. There are base camps on both the Tibetan side of Mount Everest and on the Nepalese side. No matter which side they start on, most climbers establish between four and six camps on the mountain above Base Camp where they rest, sleep, store supplies, and get used to the altitude. For weeks they take many trips back and forth between the camps before they attempt their final push to the summit. The most dangerous part of an Everest climb is typically the Khumbu (pronounced KOOM-boo) Ice Fall, an ancient glacier that can have ice as deep as a 12-story building.
Most Everest climbs happen in May, right before the monsoon season of June to September where violent snowstorms and winds of up to 285 km/hr (177 mph) ravage the mountain. That’s like a Category 3 hurricane! It’s also very cold; the top of Mount Everest never gets above freezing. The average temperature at the summit ranges from -36ºC (-33ºF) in January, the coldest month, to -19ºC (-2ºF) in July, the warmest month. Temperatures at Base Camp can be quite warm during the day, however, with climbers even hanging out in t-shirts and jeans.
