Mount Everest: The Saint Mother

Mount Everest, also known as Chomolungma, or “Saint Mother,” is located on the borders of Nepal and Tibet. Other names for Mount Everest have been, at varying times, Peak ‘B,’ Peak XV, Gaurisankar, and in the 1960s, the Nepalese government offered the name Sagarmatha. In 2002, the Chinese government argued that the use of the English name for the mountain should be discontinued, and that it instead should be referred to by the Tibetan name of Qomomlangma.

At 29,035 feet, it stands taller than any other mountain on earth. Mount Everest is the highest point above sea level on the surface of the earth. Tibetans have used the name Chomolungma to describe the mountain for hundreds of years. No foreigners were ever allowed to enter Tibet or Nepal, however, so this did not become known until much later.

Mt. Everest (Nepal) 8,848 meters (29,029 feet)

• Quick Facts

• Tallest mountain in the world (measured from sea level)
• Mt. Everest was formed about 60 million years ago
• In Tibetan, Chomolungma means “Saint Mother”
• Part of the Mahalangur Himal, a subrange of the Himalayas
• On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Nepal Tenzing were the first to reach the summit of Mt. Everest

Climbing Mount Everest is a challenge that appeals to climbers with very different levels of expertise and experience. The standard route by which climbers access the summit of Mount Everest is not technically challenging. Attempting the climb, however, is quite expensive; most novice climbers pay large sums of money to experienced guides, and purchasing a climbing permit from the Nepalese government can cost as much as US$25,000 per person.

Despite the climb’s technical ease, the risks posed by wind, weather, altitude sickness and other conditions still pose dangers to both experienced mountaineers and novice climbers. Prior to 2009, approximately 2700 people had successfully reached the summit. An estimated total of 210 people, however, have died trying. Mount Everest’s death zone, in fact, is so dangerous that most of the bodies the people who have died climbing the mountain have never been retrieved. Some can be seen by climbers along the usual climbing routes.

How was the height of the world’s highest mountain determined?

In 1808, the colonial government of India began a project known as the Great Trigonometric Survey. Many different survey teams started toward the Himalayan Mountains carrying theodolites, which weighed 1,100 pounds and required a dozen men to carry. When the surveyors reached the Himalayan foothills in the 1830s, the Nepalese government became suspicious of the British and refused to allow the survey teams to enter Nepal. As a result, the surveyors retreated to Terai, and began observing the peaks from nearly 150 miles away. Bad weather conditions, including torrential rains, kept the surveyors from working except during October, November, and December.

In November 1847, Andrew Waugh noted a mountain peak about 140 miles beyond Kangchenjunga, which until that moment had been believed to be the tallest mountain peak. Over the next few years, several attempts were made to observe this new peak, now designated as peak ‘b’, from a closer distance. In 1849, James Nicolson obtained raw observation data that indicated the mountain peak to be approximately 30,000 feet tall, clearly establishing that this peak was in fact higher than Kangchenjunga. That same year, the surveying teams began denoting the peaks with Roman numerals. Kangchenjunga was designated as Peak IX, while peak ‘b’ was designated as Peak XV.

Radhanath Sikdar was the first person to identify the mountain as the world’s tallest peak in 1852 when he performed trigonometric calculations using Nicolson’s data. Over the next several years, independent calculations were conducted repeatedly to verify this claim. In 1856, Andrew Waugh confirmed this data and made the official announcement that the mountain peak, at 29,002 feet, was the world’s highest.

How accurate were their calculations?

In fact, the calculations made by Nicolson, Sikdar and Waugh were remarkably close given the technology of the times. In 1955, an Indian survey conducted another series of measurements, again using theodolites, and determined the mountain’s height to be 29,029 feet. In 2005, surveyors from the People’s Republic of China measured Mount Everest and declared the height to be 29,017.16 feet (plus or minus 0.69 feet). They also measured a snow cap of 11 feet, while noting that the thickness of this cap varies throughout the year.

Both of these measurements are compatible with the results obtained by Bradford Washburn and his American Everest Expedition, who anchored a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit firmly into the tallest point of the mountain’s bedrock. The results of this expedition yielded a measurement of the elevation of the highest point at 29,035, with a snow cap of approximately three additional feet in height.

Scientists believe that as a result of tectonic plate activity, the mountain is growing taller and that the summit is being moved toward the northeast. Some researchers state that the height is increasing by approximately 0.16 inches each year, while a few have even claimed that the mountain is shrinking. The summit appears to be moving approximately 1/8 to 1/4 inch each year. Other mountains, including Mauna Kea in Hawaii, and Mount McKinley in Alaska, are taller from base to height. This is because the base of Mauna Kea rests on the ocean floor and Mount McKinley’s base is situated less than 1,000 feet above sea level. In comparison, the base of Mount Everest sits on a plain nearly a mile (between 4,200 and 5,200 feet) above sea level.

The Climb

Map of Mt. Everest

Climbers usually use one of two standard routes to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The northeast ridge, accessed from Tibet, starts from the mountain’s north side. Base camp for this route is located on the Rongbuk Glacier. In comparison, the southeast ridge, which is accessed from Nepal, is technically much less difficult and is the most commonly used route.

The southeast route was the only route that was open to Westerners for many years, after China closed the Tibetan border in the 1950s. To climb Mount Everest from the southeast ridge, explorers hike from Lukla to Base Camp, located on the mountain’s south side at an elevation of 17,700 feet. This hike usually takes about a week and allows climbers to become used to the altitude. Climbers usually remain in Base Camp for about two weeks, getting used to the altitude. Afterward, they make their way through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, which is one of the most dangerous sections of the route. From there, they climb to Camps I, II, III, and IV. After leaving Camp IV, climbers enter the death zone.

Climbers usually remain in Base Camp for about two weeks, getting used to the altitude. Afterward, they make their way through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, which is one of the most dangerous sections of the route. From there, they climb to Camps I, II, III, and IV. After leaving Camp IV, climbers enter the death zone.

In the death zone, climbers can survive for only two or three days. Usually, climbers will start the final part of their climb around midnight, trying to reach the summit within the next ten to twelve hours. Those lucky enough to reach the “top of the world” safely will have perhaps 30 minutes to enjoy their victory before descending to Camp IV, trying to reach this point of relative safety before darkness falls.

The death zone is so named because healthy climbers are able to survive in this area for only two to three days at most. The extreme altitude causes oxygen levels in the blood to fall, quickly quadrupling both the effort it takes to breathe and the rate of breathing itself. People have died of exhaustion due to the effort of breathing alone. Extreme cold temperatures and slippery climbing conditions, as well as high winds, have also contributed to the deaths of many climbers. The danger is so great that the bodies of those who die in the death zone are usually left where they fall.

Reaching the Summit

Approximately 2,700 people have climbed their way to the summit of Mount Everest. The idea of climbing the mountain was first published in a book, Above the Snow Line, by Clinton Thomas Dent. The first British expedition to climb to the top was led by George Mallory in 1922. After three unsuccessful attempts, Mallory was joined by Andrew Irvine in an attempt from which they never returned. Mallory’s body was found in a snow basin off the north face of the mountain by climbers in 1999, leading to speculation that perhaps he and his partner did succeed in reaching the summit.

The first known successful attempt to climb Mount Everest was that of Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal in 1953. Hillary was knighted for his success and Norgay was awarded the George Medal by Queen Elizabeth II. Since that time, climbers from Poland have distinguished themselves as the first to reach the summit in the winter, while Austrian climbers were the first to reach the top without the use of supplemental oxygen tanks.

Controversy and Ethical Dilemmas

A number of controversies have surrounded climbers attempting the summit. For example, in 2006, a climber named David Sharp, who had chosen to climb alone and without support, was found in distress by a climber returning from the summit. After radioing back to base camp, the returning climber was informed that any attempt to rescue Sharp would be futile. Throughout the day other climbers from the group passed by and witnessed his deteriorating condition. No rescue attempt was made, and Sharp died unassisted.

Just eleven days later, as debate over Sharp’s death raged, a group of climbers discovered climber Lincoln Hall, alive but in distress. The climbers abandoned their effort to reach the summit in order to rescue him and bring him to safety. Since that time, a number of other instances of climbers abandoning their summit attempts to rescue a stranded climber have been reported.

Other controversies have surfaced over the use of “bottled” or supplemental oxygen. While some climbers, including Mallory, initially declared its use unsportsmanlike, supplemental oxygen became standard equipment for Everest climbs. In 1996, during a freak storm in May, several climbers not using bottled oxygen died as a result of oxygen deprivation. Some argue that using bottled oxygen offers climbers a false sense of security, allowing people who are otherwise unqualified to attempt the climb the summit. Theft and fraud concerning the sale of bottled oxygen by unethical guides and Sherpas have also been reported.

On Top of the World

Those who have climbed to the summit of Mount Everest and looked down from the top of the world have found it to be an exhilarating and incomparable experience. Anyone considering joining Euophrys omnisuperstes, the tiny jumping spider that lurks on Everest’s slopes, however, should be well-prepared and accompanied by a team of experienced climbers and guides.

Extensive research grants and monetary resources also help; the cost of the permit alone is US$25,000, and supplies are expensive as well. An Everest climb can cost between roughly US$70,000-US$100,000 once things like airfare, equipment, guides and support costs are factored in. For those who decide it’s worth it, the climb is best attempted from March through May, when a pre-monsoon change in the jet stream typically reduces wind speeds on the mountain. September and October climbs are also occasionally attempted, though these are extremely difficult due to additional snowfall left by the monsoon and the associated unstable weather patterns.