1. "CHOMOLUNGMA” – Mother Goddess of the Universe World’s highest peak
MOUNT EVEREST
"CHOMOLUNGMA” – Mother Goddess of the Universe
World’s highest peak
Debra Oles

2. Quick Facts
Location: At the crest of the Himalayan mountain range of Southern Asia; along the border between Nepal and Tibet
Altitude: Presently 29,035 feet (8,850 meters)
Everest grows at a rate of ~1/4 in. per year
The summit is just under the cruising altitude of a commercial jet
Weather: Temperatures can plunge to more than -75° F at the summit, with possible 100 to 200 mph winds.
The jet stream passes across Everest, causing hurricane force winds
Age: Over 60 million years old. Formed by the Indian tectonic plate pushing up against the Asian tectonic plate
Routes: There are 18 different routes or route variations on Everest. The South Col is the most climbed.
Geological: Everest is like a three-sided pyramid and each side is called a face
North Face, South Face and Kangshung Face.
It’s made up of different types of sandstone, siltstone, granite, marble, limestone, shale and metamorphic rock
Everest has three different rock formations: Rongbuk North Col and Qomolangma

3. Discovery of Everest
1841: First identified by a survey team lead by Sir George Everest
1852: The Great Trigonometrical Survey (of India) labeled the peak as the “king of all mountains”
1856: The mountain was first named Peak XV and was measured at 29,002 feet using a 24 in. theodolite*
*A surveying instrument with a rotating telescope for measuring horizontal and vertical angles
1865: The mountain was officially named after Sir George Everest
former Surveyor General of India from
1955: The height of Everest was adjusted to 29,028 feet
1999: The summit was measured at 29,035 feet using Global Positioning System technology

4. Challenging Parts of the Mountain

5. Khumbu Icefall
Located from 18,000 to 20,000 feet, at the head of the Khumbu Glacier
Best to climb this area very early before the sun rises; resting here is not an option
High level of danger due to:
Wide crevasses
Forever shifting towers of ice, called seracs
Seracs can collapse anytime without warning
In order to get across, ladders are strung across crevasses.
Some require as many as four ladders strung together
May take anywhere from 4-12 hours to climb this area, depending upon acclimatization
Sixteen Sherpas were killed here in 2015 by a falling serac
Sherpas are people of Western Nepal, in the Khumbu Valley. They are local climbing guides, who join expeditions, to help clients ascend.

6. The Hillary Step
Named after Sir Edmund Hillary, Everest’s first summiteer
He summited four days prior to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation
Located at 28,839 feet, below the south summit; overlooking a 7000 foot abyss
Extreme cold and high winds
Nearly vertical, with an approximate height of 40 feet
Last big hurdle before the summit

7. The Summit Located at 29,035 feet (above sea level)
Reaching the summit takes approximately 30 hours of strenuous climbing.
From 1925 to August 2015: 7,001 summits, by people

8. Death Zone Any part of the mountain 26,000 feet and above
Body loses its ability to acclimate and starts to die due to lack of oxygen
Only 1/3 as much oxygen in each breath as there is at sea level
Can survive 5 days at most
HACE and HAPE more likely at this altitude, the longer a climber stays
Very important to keep hydrated
Important to acclimatize properly from the beginning
Most people require bottled oxygen

9. Climbing Everest
The Summit 29,035 feet

10. Climbing Everest
The 1st successful summit was achieved in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
Approximately 800 people attempt to climb Everest annually
Climbing must be done in either April/May or September/November
These are the months with the fairest weather, before the monsoons hit
It takes about 2 months to properly acclimatize and climb Everest
Climbing permits can cost as much as $70,000 for up to 7 climbers, and $10,000 for each additional

11. Climbing Apparel & Gear
Main apparel
Heavy snow suit
Heavy snow jacket
Face mask
Climbing boots
Crampons
Snow goggles
Climbing gloves
Climbing socks
Gear/tools
Ice axe
Head lamp
Ropes
Harness
Carabiners
Tent
Portable stove burner
Climbing backpack
Sleeping bag
Water bottles
Sunscreen
First Aide Kit
Cookware/Cutlery
Trekking poles

12. Medical Problems High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)
Caused by lack of oxygen to the brain, causing swelling and fluid collecting inside the brain
Must descend immediately to lower level
Gammow (pressurized) Bags are used to treat
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema(HAPE)
Caused by pressure changes and fluid collecting in the lungs, which can result in drowning in your own fluids
Must descend immediately
Hypoxia – lack of oxygen
Symptoms include: confusion, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, fast heart rate, hallucinations
Snow blindness
Due to overexposure to sun rays reflecting off the snow, burning the corneas
Frostbite
Most common areas include fingers, chin, toes, cheeks, earlobes
Hypothermia
The body loses heat rapidly, is unable to maintain heat, and its core temperature drops to 35 degrees or below

13. Deaths
It would take the efforts of 15 expeditions, 24 lives and the passage of 101 years before the first successful summit of Everest
Currently, the death rate is 6.5% of summit climbers
May 1996, 12 climbers died in the death zone during a freak blizzard
In 2015, 19 people died in an avalanche at Base Camp
As of 2016, approximately 280 people have died overall
Most bodies cannot be retrieved, at or above the Khumbu Icefall
Many climbers die descending the mountain
Main causes of climbing deaths are from falls, exposure, altitude sickness and avalanches

14. References
Information and photos garnered from my numerous Everest books, my longtime knowledge of the subject, and from online websites.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Climbing High by Lena Gammelgaard
High Exposure by David Breashears
The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev
Everest: The West Ridge
Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills