By some accident of nature, the summit of Mount Everest is just possible to reach with a pair of unassisted human lungs. But only just. Very few climbers are up to this supreme physical challenge, and some have died attempting it. It is such a fine line that in low-pressure weather the summit becomes impossible … Read more
Tenzing Norgay was named by Time magazine as one of 100 most influential people of the Twentieth Century, being one of the two climbers who are known to have first reached the summit of Mount Everest. Despite that huge achievement it is fair to say that he had mixed feelings about it. His huge fame … Read more
In 2013 news headlines barked “Meet Rupee, the First Dog to ever Climb Mt. Everest!”, “Rescue dog climbs Mount Everest!”, and “First Pooch to the summit!” The stories introduced the “Slumdog Mountaineer”, and invited us to suspend our disbelief. But it was all…untrue. Contrary to popular claims, a dog has never climbed to the summit … Read more
Bottled oxygen was first used in mountaineering on the first serious attempt to climb Mount Everest in 1922. Before then, the highest summit climbed was the 23,386 ft (7,128 metres) Paunhunri. This was not high enough to require the use of bottled oxygen. However, oxygen is needed above about 26,200 ft (8,000 metres) and so … Read more
The notorious Khumbu Icefall is the first and most dangerous section of the standard South Col route to the summit of Mount Everest. Here we discuss what the Icefall is, why it is so dangerous, and what happens to those caught within its crushing embrace. What is the Khumbu Icefall? The Khumbu Glacier is a … Read more
There’s always snow on Mount Everest, even though it lies on the border between two countries that are either partly tropical jungle (Nepal) or arid desert (Tibet). Most high mountains, even some on the equator, have snow on their tops. Meanwhile, the plains around them are hot and dry. Why is that? Mount Everest is … Read more
We Western climbers are very quick to make sure our Mount Everest climb to the summit is recorded. But what about the Sherpa and other Nepali climbers who put in all the ropes, carry all our stuff and then lead us to the top? Who records how many Sherpas have climbed Everest? The simple, scandalous … Read more
One of the most interesting women involved with Mount Everest never climbed a mountain in her life, and never even reached Base Camp. But without Liz Hawley’s seal of approval, you hadn’t climbed the mountains you just claimed you had. Elizabeth “Liz” Hawley became the Kathmandu-based chronicler of all the Himalayan expeditions that came to … Read more
Can you imagine the devastation if Mount Everest was a volcano, and it erupted? The whole of China and India could be covered in lava! Fortunately, this is unlikely to happen. And here’s why: Mount Everest is not a volcano, instead it is a mountain made of sedimentary layers of rock. So the summit of … Read more
Rainbow Valley sounds delightful, doesn’t it? But on Mount Everest it is a name that has a macabre meaning. Rainbow Valley is also known as Rainbow Ridge, the Rainbow Trail, the Rainbow Road, or Rainbow Path, but they all refer to the same area. Rainbow Valley is a section of the route on the North … Read more
