The summit of Mount Everest is a deadly place. There is only one-third of the amount of oxygen available to humans at sea level. The wind and the cold are life-threatening. Many summiteers keep their oxygen masks on during their few minutes on top of the highest mountain in the world. But how long could … Read more
It’s the question everyone really wants to ask, but doesn’t dare to. We reveal, finally, the ugly truth about peeing and pooping on Mount Everest. To pee on Mount Everest, climbers use pee bottles in tents at night and pour the urine into the surrounding snow in the morning. To poop on Everest, you use … Read more
The great nation of India has a deep fascination with Mount Everest and has given us many fine mountaineers. We hear a great deal about the first Indian men to climb Everest, but who was the first Indian woman to climb the world’s highest mountain? The first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest was Bachendri … Read more
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
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
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
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
