About

Mt.Everest, the main peak of the Himalayas, is the highest peak on the earth. At an altitude of 8848 meters (29,035 feet), it is located at 86.9°E and 27.9°N, right on the east section of the Sino-Nepal border, with the north slope in Tingri County of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the people's Republic of China, and the south slope in the Kingdom of Nepal. In Tibetan Language, Mt.Everest is called Qomolangma meaning "Goddess the Third". In a Map of China compiled in 1717, the 56th year of the rule of Emperor Kang Xi in Qing Dynasty, Mt.Everest was called Zumulangma'alin (transliteration). It was also named Mt. Everest by the British survey authorities.

Mt.Everest, shaped like a gigantic Pyramid and full of power and grandeur, towers into the sky while the land features are extremely precipitous and the environment unusually complicated. The snow line of the north slope is 5800-6200 meters and that of the south 5500-6100 meters. Three great cliffs, which are generally named the North Cliff, the East Cliff and the South-west Cliff, are embraced by the Northeast Ridge, the Southeast Ridge and the West Ridge. Between the ridges and cliffs scatter 548 continental glaciers, totaling an area of 1457.07 square kilometers, with an area of alpine glaciers exceeding 100,000 square kilometers. The greatest flannel glacier, 26 kilometers long, has an average thickness of 120 meters with the thickest over 300 meters.

The glaciers vary in types, the greatest being of upward 7260 meters in height. The constant supply of the glaciers is mainly offered by the meta-morpha of cumulated snow, caused by the conflict between two great rash belts in the monsoon zone of the Indian Ocean. In the glaciers, there are various kinds of surpassingly beautiful and rare forests of seracs (ice towers), cliffs of dozens of meters in height and open an hidden crevasses with lots of pitfalls here and there as well as the perilous area of ice and snow avalanches.

Not only is Mt.Everest towering and grand, but very powerful. Twenty kilometers around it, groups of peaks stand in great numbers and the mountain ranges rise one higher than another. At least over 40 peaks are at an altitude of more than 7000 meters, among which the fairly famous are Lhoze Feng (or Lhotse, the fourth highest peak in the world at an altitude of 8516 meters) which is 3 kilometers on the south side, Zuoqong Feng of 7589 meters, Makaru Feng in the southeast (or Makalu, the fifth highest peak in the world at an altitude of 8463 meters), Zhangzi Feng (3 kilometers in the north) at 7511 meters above sea level, Luzi Feng on the west side (7855 meters) and Pumo Rize Feng of 7161 meters above sea level. In the periphery of the gigantic peaks, some of the first class in the world stand far apart facing each other - Kanchenjunga in the southeast (the third highest peak in the world at an altitude of 8585 meters, which serves as the boundary between Nepal and Sikkim); Gezhongkang Feng (at an altitude of 7998 meters) in the east, Qowowugag Feng (Cho Oyu) of 8201 meters and Xixabangma Feng (Shishapangma) at 8012 at meters, all coming to unfold a spectacularly surging scene of tide waves of peak groups and tempting summits.

Climate

Due to the capricious climate in the Mt.Everest area and the peak around it, it is hard to foretell what the weather will be like in a single day, not to mention the changeable climatic conditions in the four seasons of a year. Generally, the rainy season of a year lasts from early June to mid-September when the violent southeast monsoon brings about a harsh climate with frequent rainfall, mists veiling the air and unexpected snow of wanton persecution. Dominated by the strong north westerly cold current from mid-November to mid-February of the next year, the temperature may be as low as -60°C, the average being about -40°C to -50°C. Because of the greatest wind speed of 90 meters per second, the Himalayas are always viewed as "a forbidden zone" for alpinists in the windy and rainy seasons. Mountain climbing is most advisable from early March to the end of May in spring and from early September the end of October in autumn, when nice weather may be available and the windy season is making way for the rainy season.

Routes

The route line to the Himalayas from the Chinese side: It takes some two-day drive of a total of 670 kilometers along the Sino-Nepal Highway from Lhasa-Gyangze-Xigaze to Xegar. Then drive on for 110 kilometers along the simply-built highway down to the north foot of Qomolangma Feng and further; to Rongpu Monastery at one end of Rongpu Glacier of 5145 meters above sea level.

Early since the beginning of the 19th century, alpinists and scientists over the world had been looking forward to exploring Mt.Everest, but it was not until 1953 (Edmund Hilary and Dan, two English men, succeeded in the first attempt to ascent the summit for the first time in human history. By the end of 1990, 267 people from 53 different teams of 26 countries in the world has enjoyed the world renown of reaching the summit of the world. With their own efforts, they discovered and started 11 route lines.

1. The route on the Southeast Ridge was discovered by a Swiss mountaineering team, but they failed in reaching the summit. In the next year, a British mountaineering team made it.
2. The route on the Northeast Ridge was started by the Chinese team in 1960 and they succeeded in getting to the summit. (See N1 in the picture)
3. The route from the West Ridge to the North Face was developed by an American team in 1963 and they achieved success in the ascent of the top. (See N2 in the picture)
4. The route on the Southwest Ridge was originated by the British Boning team in 1975 and they made the successful attempt of surmounting the summit.
5. The route on the West Ridge was found out by the former Yugoslav team and they succeeded in getting to the summit.
6. The straight route on the north buttress was started by a Japanese team in 1980, and they ascended the summit. (See N3 in the picture)
7. The route on the Pillar Ridge of the south slope was opened up by the Polish team in 1980, and they reached the summit.
8. The route from the Northeast Ridge to the north slope was initiated in 1980 by Meisinaer alone, an famous Italian, who climbed to the summit. (See N4 in the picture)
9. The route from the southeast slope to the West Ridge was developed by the former Soviet mountaineering team in 1982 and they reached the top.
10. The route from the east slope to the South Ridge was started by the San Francisco Bay team of the US. They surmounted the summit.
11. The route on the west slope was opened up in 1988 by the US-New Zealand international team who got to the summit.

In 1988, the Joint Mountaineering Team of China-Japan- Nepal undertook heroically to stride spontaneously across Mt.Everest along the south and the north slopes and joined forces at the summit. Man is still trying hard to achieve magnificent wonders in surmounting Mt.Everest.

Information based on China Mountain Guide

The Northeast Route

1. BC: 5154 meters, the traditional site for north-side climbers
2. C1: 5500 meters
3. C2: 6200 meters
4. C3 (ABC): 6500 meters
5. C4: 7050 meters, above the North Col
6. C5: 7790 meters
7. C6: 8300 meters
8. AC: 8680 meters, on Northeast Ridge

Difficulty Rating: 5/6

Time: about 60 days

Useful Links

• Books, DVD or Video on Mt.Everest
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• MountainZone: All Things Everest
• Web Directory: Mount Everest Database