   #copyright

Mount Everest

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: General Geography;
Geography of Asia

                            Mount Everest
   Everest from Kala Patthar in Nepal
   Elevation     8,848 meters (29,028 feet)
                 Ranked 1st
   Location      Nepal and China ( Tibet)
   Range         Khumbu Himal
   Prominence    8,848 meters (29,028 feet)
   Coordinates   27°59′17″N, 86°55′31″E
   First ascent  May 29, 1953, by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
   Easiest route South Col (Nepal)

   Mount Everest or Chomolungma is the highest point on Earth, as measured
   by the height of its summit above sea level. The mountain, which is
   part of the Himalaya range in High Asia, is located on the border
   between Nepal and China.

Naming

   In Nepal, the mountain is called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा, Sanskrit for
   "Head of the Ocean"); this name was invented in the early 1960s (by
   Baburam Acharya) when the Nepalese government realized that Mount
   Everest had no Nepalese name. This was because the mountain was not
   known and named in ethnic Nepal (the Kathmandu valley and surrounding
   areas). The Sherpa/Tibetan name Chomolangma was not acceptable, as it
   would have been against the idea of unification (Nepalization) of the
   country. However, the ancient name for the mountain is Devgiri (in
   Sanskrit, it means "holy mountain") or Devadurga (the English
   pronounced it as deodungha in the 1800s); please refer to the Harrapan
   archaeology site for more on the history behind the name. In Tibetan it
   is Chomolungma or Qomolangma (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ) ("Mother of the Universe"),
   or in Chinese: 珠穆朗瑪峰 ( pinyin: Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng) or 聖母峰 (Shèngmǔ Fēng).

   The mountain was given its English name in 1865 by Andrew Waugh, the
   British surveyor-general of India. With both Nepal and Tibet closed to
   foreign travel, he wrote:

     …I was taught by my respected chief and predecessor, Colonel Sir
     Geo. Everest to assign to every geographical object its true local
     or native appellation. … But here is a mountain, most probably the
     highest in the world, without any local name that we can discover,
     whose native appellation, if it has any, will not very likely be
     ascertained before we are allowed to penetrate into Nepal.… In the
     meantime the privilege as well as the duty devolves on me to
     assign…a name whereby it may be known among citizens and geographers
     and become a household word among civilized nations.

   Hence Waugh chose to name the mountain after George Everest, first
   using the spelling Mont Everest, and then Mount Everest. However, the
   modern pronunciation of Everest – IPA: [ˈɛvərɪst] or [ˈɛvərɨst]
   (EV-er-est) – is different from Sir George's own pronunciation of his
   surname, which was [ˈiv;rɪst] (EAVE-rest).

   In 2002, the Chinese People's Daily newspaper published an article
   attacking the continued use of the English name for the mountain in the
   Western world, insisting that it should be referred to by its Tibetan
   name. Chinese marked the location Mount Qomolangma on their map more
   than 280 years ago, named after a Tibetans' Goddess Qomolangma, which
   gains ground as the peak's original name.

Measurement

   Aerial view of Mount Everest.
   Enlarge
   Aerial view of Mount Everest.
   Aerial view of Mount Everest, behind Lhotse, from the south.
   Enlarge
   Aerial view of Mount Everest, behind Lhotse, from the south.

   Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician and surveyor from Bengal, was
   the first to identify Everest as the world's highest peak in 1852,
   using trigonometric calculations based on measurements of "Peak XV" (as
   it was then known) made with theodolites from 240 km (150 miles) away
   in India. Measurement could not be made from closer due to a lack of
   access to Nepal. "Peak XV" was found to be exactly 29,000 feet (8,839
   m) high, but was publicly declared to be 29,002 feet (8,840 m). The
   arbitrary addition of 2 feet (0.6 m) was to avoid the impression that
   an exact height of 29,000 feet was nothing more than a rounded
   estimate.

   The mountain was recently found to be 8,848 m (29,028 feet) high,
   although there is some variation in the measurements. The mountain K2
   comes in second at 8,611 m (28,251 feet) high. On May 22, 2005, the
   People's Republic of China's Everest Expedition Team ascended to the
   top of the mountain. After several months' complicated measurement and
   calculation, on October 9, 2005, the PRC's State Bureau of Surveying
   and Mapping officially announced the height of Everest as 8,844.43 m ±
   0.21 m (29,017.16 ± 0.69 ft). They claimed it was the most accurate
   measurement to date. . But this new height is based on the actual
   highest point of rock and not on the snow and ice that sits on top of
   that rock on the summit, so, in keeping with the practice used on Mont
   Blanc and Khan Tangiri Shyngy, it is not shown here. The Chinese also
   measured a snow/ice depth of 3.5 m, which implies agreement with a net
   elevation of 8,848 m. But in reality the snow and ice thickness varies,
   making a definitive height of the snow cap, and hence the precise
   height attained by summiteers without sophisticated GPS, impossible to
   determine.

   The elevation of 8,848 m (29,028 ft) was first determined by an Indian
   survey in 1955, made closer to the mountain, also using theodolites. It
   was subsequently reaffirmed by a 1975 Chinese measurement . In both
   cases the snow cap, not the rock head, was measured. In May 1999 an
   American Everest Expedition, directed by Bradford Washburn, anchored a
   GPS unit into the highest bedrock. A rock head elevation of 8,850 m
   (29,035 feet), and a snow/ice elevation 1 m (3 ft) higher, were
   obtained via this device . Nepal, however, did not officially recognize
   this survey, and the discrepancy with the above mentioned 2005 Chinese
   survey is significantly greater than the surveys' claimed accuracy.

   It is thought that the plate tectonics of the area are adding to the
   height and moving the summit north-eastwards. Two accounts, , suggest
   the rates of change are 4 mm per year (upwards) 3-6 mm per year
   (northeastwards), but this account mentions more lateral movement (27
   mm), and even shrinkage has been suggested .

   Everest is the mountain whose summit attains the greatest distance
   above sea level. Two other mountains are sometimes claimed as
   alternative "tallest mountains on Earth". Mauna Kea in Hawaii is
   tallest when measured from its base; it rises over 10,203 m (about 6.3
   mi) when measured from its base on the mid-ocean floor, but only
   attains 4,205 m (13,796 ft) above sea level. The summit of Chimborazo
   in Ecuador is 2,168 m (7,113 ft) farther from the Earth's centre
   (6,384.4 km or 3,967.1 mi) than that of Everest (6,382.3 km or 3,965.8
   mi), because the Earth bulges at the Equator. However, Chimborazo
   attains a height of 6,267 m (20,561 ft) above sea level, and by this
   criterion it is not even the highest peak of the Andes.

   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 there would be more than 2 km (1.25
   mi) of water covering it.

   The Mount Everest region, and the Himalayas in general, are thought to
   be suffering ice-melt due to global warming. The exceptionally heavy
   Southwest summer monsoon of 2005 is consistent with continued warming
   and augmented convective uplift on the Tibetan plateau to the north.

Climbing routes

   Southern and northern climbing routes as seen from the International
   Space Station.
   Enlarge
   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 northeast ridge from China, as well as many other less
   frequently climbed routes. Of the two main routes, the southeast ridge
   is technically easier and is the more frequently-used route. It was the
   route used by Hillary and Tenzing in 1953 and the first recognised of
   fifteen routes to the top by 1996. This was, however, a route decision
   dictated more by politics than by design as the Chinese border was
   closed to foreigners in 1949. Reinhold Messner (Italy) summited the
   mountain solo for the first time, without supplementary oxygen or
   support, on the more difficult Northwest route via the North Col to the
   North Face and the Great Couloir, on August 20th 1980. He climbed for
   three days entirely alone from his base camp at 6500 meters without the
   use of supplementary oxygen via the North Col/North Face route. This
   route has been noted as the 8th climbing route to the summit.

   Most attempts are made during April and May before the summer monsoon
   season. A change in the jet stream at this time of year reduces the
   average wind speeds high on the mountain. While attempts are sometimes
   made after the monsoons in September and October, the additional snow
   and deposited by the monsoons and the less stable weather patterns
   makes climbing more difficult.

Southeast ridge

   The ascent via the southeast ridge begins with a trek to Base Camp at
   5,380 m (17,600 ft) on the south side of Everest in Nepal. Expeditions
   usually fly into Lukla (2,860 m) from Kathmandu and pass through Namche
   Bazaar. Climbers then hike to Base Camp, which usually takes six to
   eight days, allowing for proper altitude acclimatization in order to
   prevent altitude sickness. Climbing equipment and supplies are carried
   by yaks, dzopkyos (yak hybrids) and human porters to Base Camp on the
   Khumbu Glacier. When Hillary and Tenzing climbed Everest in 1953, they
   started from Kathmandu Valley, as there were no roads further east at
   that time.
   A view of Everest southeast ridge base camp. The Khumbu Icefall can be
   seen in the left. In the center are the remains of a helicopter that
   crashed in 2003.
   Enlarge
   A view of Everest southeast ridge base camp. The Khumbu Icefall can be
   seen in the left. In the centre are the remains of a helicopter that
   crashed in 2003.

   Climbers will spend a couple of weeks in Base Camp, acclimatizing to
   the altitude. During that time, Sherpas and some expedition climbers
   will set up ropes and ladders in the treacherous Khumbu Icefall.
   Seracs, crevasses and shifting blocks of ice make 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
   usually begin their ascent well before dawn when the freezing
   temperatures glue ice blocks in place. Above the icefall is Camp I or
   Advanced Base Camp (ABC) at 6,065 m (19,900 ft).

   From Camp I, climbers make their way up the Western Cwm to the base of
   the Lhotse face, where Camp II is established at 6,500 m (21,300 ft).
   The Western Cwm 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 Cwm. 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 Cwm is also called the "Valley of
   Silence" as the topography of the area generally cuts off wind from the
   climbing route. The high altitude and a clear, windless day can make
   the Western Cwm 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 is another 500
   metres to Camp III 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 enter 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 8,400
   m (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 8,750 m (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 southeast 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 2,400 m (8,000 ft) down the
   southwest face while to the immediate right is the 3,050 m (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 8,760 m (28,750 ft).

   Hillary and Tenzing 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 set up by Sherpas. Once above the step, it is a
   comparatively easy climb to the top on moderately angled snow slopes -
   though the exposure on the ridge is extreme especially while traversing
   very large cornices of snow. After the Hillary Step, climbers also must
   traverse a very loose and rocky section that has a very large
   entanglement of fixed ropes that can be troublesome in bad weather.
   Climbers will typically spend less than a half-hour on "top of the
   world" as they realize the need to descend to Camp IV before darkness
   sets in or afternoon weather becomes a serious problem.

Northeast ridge

   The northeast 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 Rongbuk Glacier
   up to the base of Changtse at around 6,100 m (20,000 ft). Camp III (ABC
   - Advanced Base Camp) 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 set up 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

   Mount Everest as seen from the Rongbuk Monastery.
   Mount Everest as seen from the Rongbuk Monastery.

   On June 8, 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, wrote in his diary that he "saw
   M&I on the ridge, nearing base of final pyramid" at 12:50 p.m. that
   day. In 1979 climber Wang Hongbao of China revealed to a companion that
   he had discovered a body in 1975 thought at the time to be Irvine's,
   but he was killed in a fall the next day before he could provide
   precise details to anyone else.

   In 1999, however, the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition found
   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 summited 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 has been that they
   did not, though recent findings may indicate otherwise. Though there is
   no physical evidence of either man above the Second Step, there is
   speculation that if Mallory had made it that far he likely summitted,
   as there are no difficult technical climbs further up. The leading
   theory amongst those supporting the summit theory has Mallory tackling
   the sheer face of the Second Step by standing on Irvine's shoulders.
   Armed with Irvine's spare oxygen tanks he could have summitted late in
   the day. Descending in darkness he may have decided to take the Norton
   Couloir rather than attempt down-climbing the Second Step in the dark.
   Almost everyone agrees Mallory died in a short fall during his descent
   through the couloir, where his body was found. Irvine probably briefly
   survived him as he awaited his companion's return, at the foot of the
   Second Step, but died later of exposure. Irvine's body was probably
   found by another Chinese climber in 1960 (nowhere near Mallory's,
   proving the two had separated) but has not been rediscovered since,
   despite several searches in 2004.

   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. Comprehensive information is available at Mallory and Irvine: The
   Final Chapter including critical opposing viewpoints.

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

1933-1953

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

   After taking part in the 1935 reconnaissance expedition, the prolific
   mountaineering explorer Bill Tilman was appointed leader of the 1938
   Everest expedition which attempted the ascent via the north west ridge.
   They reached over 27,000 ft (8,200 m) without supplemental oxygen
   before being forced down due to bad weather and sickness.

   Early expeditions ascended the mountain from Tibet, via the north face.
   However, this access was closed to western expeditions in 1950, after
   the Chinese reasserted control over Tibet. However, in 1950, Bill
   Tilman and a small party which included Charles Houston, Oscar Houston
   and Betsy Cowles undertook an exploratory expedition to Everest through
   Nepal along the route which has now become the standard approach to
   Everest from the south.

Tenzing and Hillary

   During 1951, a British expedition led by Eric Shipton and including
   Edmund Hillary, travelled into Nepal to survey a new route via the
   southern face.

   Taking their cue from the British, in 1952 a Swiss expedition attempted
   to climb via the southern face, but the assault team of Raymond Lambert
   and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay turned back 200 meters short of the summit.
   The Swiss attempted another expedition in the autumn of 1952; this time
   a team including Lambert and Tenzing turned back at an earlier stage in
   the climb.

   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 local time on May
   29, 1953 by the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay
   from Nepal climbing the South Col Route. At the time, both acknowledged
   it as a team effort by the whole expedition, but Tenzing revealed a few
   years later that Hillary had put his foot on the summit first. They
   paused at the summit to take photographs and buried 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.

1996 disaster

   During the 1996 climbing season, fifteen people died trying to reach
   the summit, making it the deadliest single year in Everest history.
   That year, May 10 was the deadliest day in Everest history, when a
   storm stranded several climbers near the summit (on the Hillary Step),
   killing eight. Among those who died were experienced climbers Rob Hall
   and Scott Fischer, both of whom were leading paid expeditions to the
   summit. The disaster gained wide publicity and raised questions about
   the commercialization of Everest.

   Journalist Jon Krakauer, on assignment from Outside magazine, was also
   in Hall's party, and afterwards published the bestseller Into Thin Air
   which related his experience. Anatoli Boukreev, a guide who felt
   impugned by Krakauer's book, co-authored a rebuttal book called The
   Climb. The dispute sparked a large debate within the climbing
   community. In May 2004, Kent Moore, a physicist, and John L. Semple, a
   surgeon, both researchers from the University of Toronto, told New
   Scientist magazine that an analysis of weather conditions on that day
   suggested that freak weather caused oxygen levels to plunge by around
   80%.

   During the same season, climber and filmmaker David Breashears and his
   team filmed the IMAX feature Everest on the mountain (some climbing
   scenes were later recreated for the film in British Columbia, Canada).
   The 70 mm IMAX camera was specially modified to be lightweight enough
   to carry up the mountain, and to function in the extreme cold with the
   use of particular greases on the mechanical parts, plastic bearings and
   special batteries. Production was halted as Breashears and his team
   assisted the survivors of the May 10 disaster, but the team eventually
   reached the top on May 23 and filmed the first large format footage of
   the summit. On Breashears' team was Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of
   Tenzing Norgay, following in his father's footsteps for the first time.

   The storm's impact on climbers on the mountain's other side, the North
   Ridge, where several climbers also died, was detailed in a first hand
   account by British filmmaker and writer Matt Dickinson in his book The
   Other Side of Everest.

2003 - 50th Anniversary of First Ascent

   2003 marked the 50th anniversary of the first ascent, and a record
   number of teams, and some very distinguished climbers, attempted to
   climb the mountain this year. Several record attempts were attempted,
   and achieved:

   Dick Bass - the first person to climb the seven summits, and who first
   stood atop Everest in 1985 at 55 years old (making him the oldest
   person at that time to do so) returned in 2003 to attempt to reclaim
   his title. At 73 he would have reclaimed this honour, but he made it to
   ABC only. Dick's team mates included the renowned American climbers Jim
   Wickwire and John Roskelley.

   Outdoor Life Network Expendition - OLN staged a high profile survivor
   style show where the winners got the chance to climb Everest. Conrad
   Ankor and David Breashears were commentators on this expedition.

   Adventure Peaks Expedition - Walid Abuhaidar and Philip James attempted
   to become the youngest American and British climbers to climb the North
   Face, but their expeditions were cut short when Conan Harrod, one of
   their team mates, fell and broke his leg on the summit ridge at a
   height of approximately 8,600m. The ensuing rescue was claimed to be
   the highest altitude rescue. A documentary is currently being produced
   on this expedition.

   Chinese/Taiwanese Expedition - The largest expedition on the North Side
   of the Mountain with over 250 members.

Facts

     * As of the end of the 2004 climbing season, 2,238 people had reached
       the summit (1,148 of them since 1998) and 186 people died while
       summitting. The conditions on the mountain are so difficult that
       most of the corpses have been left where they fell; some of them
       are easily visible from the standard climbing routes.

     * Most expeditions use oxygen masks and tanks above 26,000 feet
       (8,000 m); this region is known as the death zone. Everest can be
       climbed without supplementary oxygen but increases the risk to the
       climber. Humans do not think clearly with low oxygen, and the
       combination of severe weather, low temperatures, and steep 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. The Nepalese
       government also requires a permit from all prospective climbers;
       this carries a heavy fee, often more than $25,000 per person.

Timeline

Death zone

   While conditions for any area classified as a death zone apply to Mount
   Everest (altitudes higher than 8,000 m), it is significantly more
   difficult for a climber to survive at the death zone on Mount Everest.
   Temperatures can dip to very low levels, resulting in frost bite of any
   body part exposed to the air. Because temperatures are so low, snow is
   well-frozen in certain areas and death by slipping and falling can also
   occur. High winds at these altitudes on Everest are also a potential
   threat to climbers. The atmospheric pressure at the top of Everest is
   about a third of sea level pressure, meaning there is about a third as
   much oxygen available to breathe as at sea level.

Bottled oxygen controversy

   The use of bottled oxygen to ascend Mount Everest has been
   controversial. George Mallory himself described the use of such oxygen
   as unsportsmanlike, but later concluded that it would be impossible to
   summit without it, and consequently used it. When Tenzing and Hillary
   made the first successful summit in 1953, they used bottled oxygen. For
   the next twenty-five years, bottled oxygen was a standard necessity for
   any successful summit.

   Reinhold Messner was the first climber to break the bottled oxygen
   tradition and in 1978, with Peter Habeler, made the first successful
   oxygenless climb. Although critics alleged that he sucked mini-bottles
   of oxygen - a claim that Messner has denied - Messner silenced them
   when he summited the mountain, without oxygen or support, on the more
   difficult Northwest route, in 1980. In the aftermath of Messner's two
   successful ascents, the debate on bottled oxygen usage continued.
   Critics have made the assertion that Messner's many high-altitude
   sorties have resulted in real brain damage from hypoxia due to pushing
   himself too hard.

   The aftermath of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster further intensified
   the debate. Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air (1997) expressed the author's
   personal criticisms of the use of bottled oxygen. Krakauer wrote that
   the usage of bottled oxygen allowed otherwise unqualified climbers to
   attempt to summit, leading to dangerous situations and more deaths. The
   May 10 disaster was partially caused by the sheer number of climbers
   (33 on that day) attempting to ascend, causing bottlenecks at Hillary
   Step and delaying many climbers, most of whom summited after the usual
   2pm turnaround time. He proposed banning bottled oxygen except for
   emergency cases, arguing that this would both decrease the growing
   trash on Everest and keep marginally qualified climbers off the
   mountain.

   The 1996 disaster also introduced the issue of the guide's role in
   using bottled oxygen. Guide Anatoli Boukreev's decision not to use
   bottled oxygen was sharply criticized by Jon Krakauer. Boukreev's
   supporters (who include G. Weston DeWalt, who co-wrote The Climb) state
   that using bottled oxygen gives a false sense of security. Krakauer and
   his supporters point out that, without bottled oxygen, Boukreev was
   unable to directly help his clients descend. They state that Boukreev
   said that he was going down with client Martin Adams, but when Adams
   slowed down, Boukreev later descended faster and left him behind.

   While some climbers in the mountaineering community support Krakauer's
   point of view, others feel that there is a small set of climbers such
   as Anatoli Boukreev and Ed Viesturs who can climb without oxygen and
   still function well. Most climbers agree that a guide cannot directly
   help clients if he or she cannot concentrate or think clearly and this
   may be an argument for the use of bottled oxygen by them.

David Sharp controversy

   Double-amputee climber Mark Inglis revealed in an interview with the
   press on May 23, 2006, that his climbing party, and many others, had
   passed a distressed climber, David Sharp, sheltering under a rock
   overhang 450 meters below the summit without attempting a rescue. The
   revelation sparked wide debate on climbing ethics, especially as
   applied to Everest.

   As this debate raged, Australian climber Lincoln Hall was found alive,
   after being declared dead, by a party of four climbers ( Dan Mazur,
   Andrew Brash, Myles Osborne and Jangbu Sherpa) who giving up their own
   summit attempt, stayed with Hall and descended with him and a party of
   12 Sherpas sent up to carry him down. Hall later fully recovered.

Life-threatening thefts

   Other climbers have reported life-threatening thefts from supply
   caches. Vitor Negrete, the first Brazilian to climb Everest without
   oxygen and part of David Sharp's party, died during his descent, and
   theft from his high-altitude camp may have contributed.

Life forms

   Euophrys omnisuperstes, a minute black jumping spider, has been found
   at elevations as high as 6,700 meters, possibly making it the highest
   known permanent resident on earth. They lurk in crevices and possibly
   feed on frozen insects that have been blown there by the wind.

   Birds, such as the bar-headed goose have been seen flying at the higher
   altitudes of the mountain, while others such as the Chough have been
   spotted at high levels on the mountain itself, scavenging on food, or
   even corpses, left over by climbing expeditions.

Image gallery

   View on the majestic Mount Everest from the Rongbuk Monastery

   Mount Everest and Nubtse from Kala Patthar

   Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) as seen from Kala Pattar

   Mount Everest

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
