Hidden Expedition - About Mt. Everest
The Top of the World
Rising to over 8,800 meters, Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China, Mt. Everest was first conquered by climberes Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. However, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine may had reached the summit as early as 1924. They, however, never retured from their expedition.
As of 2006 there had been over 3,000 successful ascents to the summit of Mt. Everest by over 2,000 climbers. There have also been over 200 deaths on the mountain.
Mt. Everest was given its English name in 1865 by Andrew Waugh, the British surveyor-general of India. Waugh named the mountain after his predecessor, Colonel Sir George Everest only after failing to find a name among local inhabitants.
Among the fifteen routes leading to the summit of Mt. Everest, the two main climbing routes are the Southeast Ridge (beginning in Nepal) and the Northeast Ridge (beginning in Tibet). The Southeast Route is considered to be the easier of the two routes and was the route used by Sir Edmund Hillary on his famous ascent.
Most attempts to summit are made in May prior to the summer monsoon season that brings heavy snowfall to the mountain.
Important Dates in History of Mt. Everest Climbing
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1924 | George Mallory and Sandy Irvine leave their camp on the Northeast Ridge to begin their third attempt to summit Mt. Everest. When asked why he wanted to climb Everest, Mallory famously replied, "Because it is there". They never returned. |
| 1953 | Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first climbers to successfully reach the summit of Mt. Everest and return. They used the South Col Route during their journey. |
| 1960 | A Chinese group of climbers reports reaching the summit of Mt. Everest via a route on the North Side of the mountain. These claims could never be substantiated. |
| 1963 | Jim Whittaker becomes the first American citizen to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. |
| 1975 | Japanese climber, Junko Tabei, becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. |
| 1975 | Chris Bonington leads a British climbing team to the top of Mt. Everest via the Southwest Route. |
| 1978 | Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler become the first climbers to reach the summit of Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen. |
| 1980 | Reinhold Messner successfully completes solo climb of Mt. Everest with no supplemental oxygen. |
| 1983 | Lou Reichardt leads an American team of climbers to the top of Everest via the East Route. |
| 1988 | Jean-Marc Boivin reaches the summit of Mt. Everest via the Southeast Ridge and paraglides down to Camp 2. |
| 1988 | Stephen Venables successfully reaches summit of Mt. Everest via the Neverest Buttress. |
| 1999 | The body of George Mallory is discovered by Conrad Anker on the North face of the mountain. |
| 2000 | Babu Chiri Sherpa ascends from Base Camp to the summit of Everest in under 17 hours setting a record for South side speed ascent - a record that still stands. |
Mt. Everest Facts
- Elevation: 8,848 m (29,028 feet)
- Location: Nepal and China
- Mountain Range: Himalaya
- First Ascent: May 29, 1953