Mount Everest Facts: Things you should know about Everest

The world’s most famous mountain, Mount Everest, has many interesting and amazing facts.

Everest is the world’s highest mountain. Every mountaineer dreams to conquer this 8,848-meter-high peak.

Over 5,000 trekkers conquered Mount Everest successfully. On the other hand, hundreds died trying.

Either way, this natural landmark appeals to all climbers and non-climbers alike. Thousands want to learn more about this magnificent peak.

Mount Everest is the world’s most prominent natural landmark.

We’ve compiled some known and unknown facts about Mount Everest to motivate you.

Name

This peak was first recognized in 1841 by a British survey team led by Sir George Everest. Everest was named after him in 1865.

Mount Everest was previously known as Peak XV, or Peak 15.

It’s pronounced ‘Eve-rest’ not ‘Ever-est.’

In Tibetan, Mount Everest is called Chomolungma, meaning ‘Earth’s Goddess Mother.’

In Nepali it’s called Sagarmatha, a Sanskrit word for ‘Sky Goddess.’

Location and Height of Mt. Everest

Mount Everest is situated in Nepal, on Nepal-Tibet border.

This mountain is 8,848 meters high, or 29,029 feet high, making it the world’s tallest mountain.

New claims of Everest being 8,850 meters tall are surfacing, which could actually be true as the mountain grows by 2,4 inches each year. From 2017 Nepal has started to re-measure the height of Everest and finish it by 2020!

The Chinese government claims 8,844 meters (29,016 feet) high.

This mountain is one of the eight-thousanders, higher-than-8,000 meters above sea level. Only 14 mountains exceed 8,000 meters in the world.

It also belongs to Seven Summits, a family of seven continents’ tallest mountains.

Mount Everest is situated in Mahalangur Himal, Himalayan sub-range.

Nepal, Tibet, and India are visible from top of Everest.

How was Everest formed?

This peak was created after the Indian plate pressed against the Asian plate.

Mount Everest is thought 60 million years old.

Everest forms of limestone, marble and shale.

This mountain is snow-covered throughout the year.

Who Climb of Mt.Everest First?

A British expedition team from the Tibetan side carried out the first attempt at scale-up Mount Everest.

In 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted ascending Everest. Either or not they reached the top was never verified as they never returned from the peak. They were last seen on July 8, 1924. While Irvine’s body still misses, Mallory’s body was found in 1999. It is suspected that Irvine held the camera, which may mean they were Mount Everest’s first ascenders. Having the camera will potentially change mountaineering history forever.

The first to ascend Mount Everest were Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa of Nepal in 1953. Lord John Hunt led this expedition.

Japanese Junko Tabei was the first woman to hit Everest. She is also the first person to safely climb all the Seven Summits.

Nawang Gombu (Tibetan), Chu Yin-Hau, and Wang Fu-zhou (China) were the first to achieve the north side summit on 25 May 1960.

Other Notable climbers

Japan’s Yuichiro Miura was 80 when he became the eldest person to reach Everest. Actually, he held the record of the oldest climber when he scaled Everest at 70 in 2003. He faced two heart surgeries and climbed in 2013. Unfortunately, he passed away while trying to summit Everest again at 85.

Similarly, Jordan Romero was 13 when he accomplished this achievement before the age limit was imposed. His record cannot be broken unless the governments of both countries lifted the ban!

A blind climber, Erik Weihenmayer (USA) effectively peaked in 2001.

New Zealander Mark Inglis ascended this peak with both reattached legs.

In 1980, Reinhold Messner summited Everest without oxygen supplement and solo.

Kami Rita Sherpa (Nepal) has a unprecedented number of 24 summits at Mount Everest, the last two summits alone in 2019.

Babu Chiri Sherpa spent the night at Mount Everest in 1999.

In 2013, the record number of summits was 667, later surpassed in 2018 with about 800 peak summits. 2019 smashed all milestones as over 890 climbers reached the top.

In 1998, Bear Grylls summited Mount Everest, 18 months after fracturing three vertebrae.

Commercialization of Mount Everest

Rob Hall and Gary Ball led four members to Everest Summit in 1990, beginning the commercialization of Mount Everest.

To ascend from Nepal, you must be at least 16. From Tibet, between the ages of 18 and 60.

In 2018 alone, 802 summits were successful, most in a year.

1974 is a maiden year since no attempt was made to climb a peak!

Nepal’s people claim the most summits than any nation.

As an effort to clean the garbage in Everest, each climber is required to return with eight kilograms of garbage to base camp or forfeit their 2,000 pounds deposit.

Mount Everest has 18 different routes to climb.

There are two base camps; the 5,364-meter South Base Camp in Nepal, while the 5,150-meter North Base Camp in Tibet.

Both these routes are the most familiar routes to the summit of Everest. The Southern Route in Nepal is more famous.

Mount Everest experiences ‘human traffic jam’ problems due to increasing popularity.

Death Statistic

By January 2019, 295 people died on Everest.

The major causes of death are avalanche, fall, altitude, and exposure.

The highest number of casualties was 19 in 1996.

1977 was the year of no death on Everest.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on April 25 , 2015, triggering an avalanche killed 16 Sherpa and climbers in base camp. 61 Other wounded. This day is remembered as the Everest’s worst tragedy.

Owing to its high expense and risk involved, several dead bodies exist along this mountain’s paths, rendering it the world’s largest open grave. One such big dead bodies is named ‘Green Boots.’

Green Boots is a popular landmark on Mount Everest’s northeast. This corpse, although not officially confirmed, is believed to be Tsewang Paljor’s.

Death Zone

The final 8848 meters of Everest is called ‘Death Zone.’

The Death Zone is above 7,500 m. In this region, most mountaineering deaths occur. The closest accessible doctor is less than 5,400 metres.

About 200 bodies remain on Mount Everest’s route. Because of poor weather and risk factor, those bodies are left. Most of these lives died in Death Zone.

Environment and Flora & Fauna

Temperature can be -80 degrees Fahrenheit at the top.

Comparable to sea level, Everest’s peak contains 66% fewer oxygen molecules.

The top of Everest is just below the cruising height of a jet.

Wind speed was registered at 280 kilometers per hour, enough to blow off climbers. Winds over 160 kilometers / h are common

A moss-type grows at 6,480 meters.

Himalayan Jumping Spider (scientific name Euophyrys Omnisuperstes, meaning ‘standing above all’) lives in Mount Everest. They live as high as 6,700 meters above sea level. They feed on frozen insects, springtails, and other tiny wind-blown invertebrates.

Bar-headed geese fly at higher mountain altitudes.

George Lowe, part of Tenzing Norgay’s and Edmund Hillary’s team, reported to have seen bar-headed geese fly over the top of this peak.

Chough birds are reported at 7,920 metres.

Technology

Due to advanced equipment used for climbing, the death rate among Everest climbers has decreased.

High-speed internet on Mount Everest pathway!

The first tweet from the summit was made by Kenton Cool. His Tweet read – “Everest summit no 9! 1st tweet from the top of the world thanks to a weak 3G signal & the awesome Samsung Galaxy S2 handset! @samsunguk”

The first phone call from the peak was made two years later.

Other Facts

It takes around two months to climb Mount Everest. This time excludes arriving in Nepal and trekking to the base camp. Climbers need to acclimatize their bodies to the altitude of Everest.

Although Mount Everest is the world’s highest peak, it isn’t the planet’s highest mountain. This distinction goes to Mauna Kea in Hawaii, currently, 10,200 meters elevated as estimated from the base.

Jean-Marc Boivin was the first man to paraglide from the top of Everest in 1988 AD.