1. Mount Everest
Vocabulary

2. Sherpa Context Clue Definition:
Since the first British adventurers came to Nepal, a group of native people known as Sherpas have worked with climbers as guides and partners.
Definition:
a race of people know for their climbing abilities and ability to adjust to high altitudes quickly. Usually hired to help climbers up the mountain.

3. Expedition Context Clue Definition:
Most expeditions to the Himalayas begin with a plane flight to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
Definition:
a journey made for a specific reason.

4. Summit Context clue Definition:
Its summit is the highest point on earth, 5 ½ miles above sea level.
Definition:
the top

5. Altitude Context clue Definition:
At higher altitudes, there is less air above you.
Definition:
height of something measured from sea level. This is a measurement of air pressure.

6. Elevation Context clue Definition:
During the journey, the elevation rises from 5,000 feet to over 17,000.
Definition:
Height of something measured from sea level. This is a geometric measurement.

7. Delirious Context clue Definition:
A disorder of the mind that results in restlessness, excitability, incoherent thought and/or speech, and/or hallucinations.

8. Assault team Context clue Definition:
After helping Hillary and Norgay establish Camp IX, the rest of the team descends, leaving the final assault team alone in the dismal camp.
Definition:
Two or more climbers who attempt to reach a mountain summit.

9. Avalanche Context clue Definition:
A mass of snow, ice, or rock pouring down a mountainside.

10. Base Camp Context clue Definition:
Only 10,900 feet and 13 miles to go before your next stop at Base Camp.
Definition:
A central setup of tents where food, equipment, and medical supplies are stored; a relay site for climbers.

11. Buddhist Context clue Definition:
Over 500 years ago a group of Tibetan Buddhists known as the Sherpas moved from Tibet to the Everest region of Nepal in order to be closer to the mountain they hold sacred.
Definition:
Based on the teaching of Buddha; a member of the religion that adheres to the teachings of Buddha.

12. Col Context clue Definition:
Disappointed and exhausted, Bourdillon and Evans retreat all the way back to South Col.
Definition:
A depression or pass in a mountain range.

13. Cornice Context clue Definition:
An overhanging mass of hardened snow at the edge of a ridge, usually formed by wind.

14. Cwm (pronounced coom) Context clue Definition:
A valley on the side of a hill or mountain.

15. Crampon Context clue Definition:
At 6:30 a.m., after spending two hours thawing out Hillary’s frozen boots, the men finally strap on their crampons and set off for the top.
Definition:
Metal frame with spikes worn on hiking boots for ice climbs.

16. Crevasse Context clue Definition:
Hillary and teammate Tenzing Norgay, roped to each other, cut ice steps and maneuver around hidden crevasses.
Definition:
A deep, open crack in a glacier.

17. Icefall Context clue Definition:
Hillary leads some of the team on a rigorous climb up the Khumbu Icefall to establish Base Camp.
Definition:
A cascade of ice that results when a glacier descends over a changing slope of ground beneath.

18. Ice pick Context clue Definition:
Hour after hour, using ice picks, they cut endless ice steps.
Definition:
A tool for chopping ice or securing oneself while climbing over ice.

19. Oxygen system Context clue Definition:
They encounter a blizzard and their oxygen systems begin to fail.
Definition:
Oxygen tanks carried by climbers. A closed system allows climbers to breathe pure oxygen from the tank; an open system allows climbers to breathe a mixture of pure oxygen and outside air.

20. Porter Context clue Definition:
It has taken 16 days for Edmund Hillary, 13 other climbers, and 350 porters to reach the Tengpoche Monastery and set up a rear camp.
Definition:
A person who carriers supplies.

21. Sidar Context clue Definition:
A Sherpa leader on a mountaineering or trekking expedition.

22. Traverse Context clue Definition:
To cross a mountain slope; a steep slope that has to be climbed from side to side.