Everest dimensions. Where is Everest? Who conquered Mount Everest

In continuation of a series of posts that have attracted a lot of attention from bloggers (, and) let's remember why Everest is called Everest.

Anyone who studied geography at school will easily remember the name of the highest peak on the planet. Everest has long attracted climbers, extreme sports enthusiasts and fans of all things mysterious. Its height has been measured several times recently. Therefore, even in official materials there are three sets of numbers: 8848 m, 8850 m, 8844 m. The first of them is firmly embedded in our memory. The latter was measured from the Chinese side. This question is not easy, because we are talking about the height of the highest mountain on Earth. And it is very correct that the interested parties agreed for the near future to conditionally consider the height to be 8848 meters.

Meanwhile, the highest mountain on the planet received its current name relatively recently, only a century and a half ago. Since time immemorial, Tibetan monks have called her Chomolungma - “Mother Goddess of the Earth.” French missionaries, who reached the Himalayas in the 18th century, put it on the map under the name Ronkbuk - that was the name of the Tibetan monastery built by order of the Dalai Lama on the northern slope of the mountain.

In Nepal, the highest of the mountains was called Sagarmatha - “Heavenly Peak”. However, today the whole world knows the mountain under the name that the British gave it.

Dali was given in honor of a man who never climbed to its peak or even came close to it.

George Everest born on July 4, 1790 in Wales, in the town of Gwernvale, into an aristocratic family. For boys from wealthy English families of that time, a military career was typical, and George was no exception. After leaving school he entered the military school in Woolwich. George studied well, especially pleasing his mathematics teachers with his success. Everest graduated from the school ahead of schedule, at the age of 16, and was sent to serve in India as an artillery cadet.

The command, appreciating his brilliant mathematical abilities, transferred the young military man to the geodetic service. In 1814, Everest went on an expedition to the island of Java, where he spent two years.

In 1816, the 26-year-old officer was returned to India, and two years later he became the deputy of the William Lambton- Head of the British Geodetic Survey in India.

At this time, Lambton and his subordinates solved a truly titanic task - conducting a geodetic survey of India. It was not only about the country within its modern borders, but also about the territories in which other states have now been formed, primarily Pakistan.

Theodolite - a measuring instrument used by George Everest

FEATURES OF FLORA AND FAUNA OF EVEREST

During the year, climatic conditions on Everest are considered quite extreme. January is recognized as the coldest month, as the average temperature ranges from -36 to -60° C! But the warmest month, if you can call it that, is July, when the temperature does not drop below -19° C. An amazing fact is that the boiling point of water at the top of the mountain is only 70° C. This phenomenon is due to the pressure indicator, which is only 326 mbar. Usually in spring and winter, Qomolungma has a characteristic westerly wind.

Only a small part of plants and animals can withstand extreme conditions. In 1924, scientists made an amazing discovery: as it turned out, at an altitude of about 6700 meters, a jumping spider belonging to the genus Araneomorpha was found. In order to survive, the little spider has to hunt small springtails and flies that live within 6,000 meters. But insects, in turn, feed on lichens and some types of fungi.

As part of an expedition that took place in 1925, experts discovered about 30 species of those same lichens. Also, in the area of ​​5600 meters, scientists discovered a bar-headed goose. Only a few species of birds can withstand the pressure at the top, and they use climbers' food scraps as food.

"Peak XV"

This work began in 1806, and was completed only half a century later, in 1856. George Everest spent most of his life on it.

In 1823 William Lambton died and Everest succeeded him. True, two years later he was struck down by a serious illness, which forced him to return to England.

In Britain, however, Everest continued to deal with issues of the Indian Geodetic Survey - he provided supplies of new instruments, solved theoretical problems and organizational issues.

In 1830, with his health problems behind him, George Everest returned to India, where he worked for another 13 years.

During these years, the mountain peaks of the Himalayas were also recorded, but their heights were not measured. All peaks were given a code name, and Chomolungma was included in this list as “Peak XV”.

Merit Award

In 1843, 53-year-old George Everest retired with the rank of colonel and returned to England. Despite his advanced age, the honored surveyor decided to do something for which he had not had time before - starting a family. It must be said that the scientist was more than successful in this, having acquired six children.

George Everest's services to the British Empire were highly appreciated. In 1861 he was awarded the title "Sir" and in 1862 he was elected vice-president of the Royal Geographical Society.

Having worked for many years in the geodetic service in India, Everest trained a galaxy of students, one of whom, Andrew Waugh, in 1852, worked to determine the height of the Himalayan peaks. Waugh's measurements showed that "Peak XV" is not only the highest mountain of the Himalayas, but also the highest point on the globe.

The highest mountain in the world needed a suitable name. In 1865, the English Royal Geographical Society decided that in recognition of services to science and in honor of Sir George Everest's 75th birthday, “Peak XV” should be named after him. Andrew Waugh was the first to express this idea in 1856, and over the next nine years the community of English scientists came to the conclusion that Sir Everest deserves it.

At first, the hero of the day categorically did not like this idea, but his colleagues insisted on their own. As a result, “Peak XV”, first in English documents, and then throughout the world, began to be called “Everest”.

Sir died, but the name lives on

The memory of the merits of the scientist-geodesist remained only in specialized literature and in encyclopedias, but the name given to the peak was so firmly entrenched that it supplanted all its other names.

In countries whose territory is directly adjacent to the Himalayas, in particular in China and Nepal, there have long been proposals to return the “historical” name to the peak. Cartographers, trying to reconcile the warring parties, offer this option: the entire mountain range receives the name Chomolungma, and the peak takes on the double name Everest (Sagarmatha).

However, whatever one may say, for most people who do not delve deeply into such disputes, Everest remains Everest. The surname of Sir Surveyor turned out to be very suitable for the highest peak of the planet.

It's funny that John Everest himself was of Welsh origin and called himself an Ivrist. But the mountain in English transcription immediately began to be called Everist. For the whole world, who speaks little English, it began to be called Everest... which, with a certain stretch, can be called “always resting.” Again, it is interesting that George himself had the nickname “Neverest” - “never resting.”

Note that Everest himself took part in a meeting on names in 1857 and spoke out against the use of his name. In his opinion, the name does not correspond well to local languages ​​and cannot be learned by the natives.

FIRST CLIMBING OF JOMOLUNGMA

On May 26, 1953, the first attempt was made to climb the inaccessible Everest, but Charles Evans and Tom Bourdillon, members of the British expedition, did not reach the top by only 100 meters! The reason for this was an acute lack of oxygen. But a few days later - on May 29, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquered the inaccessible mountain. The climbers did not stay at the top for long; they managed to take a few pictures and buried a cross in the snow with a couple of chocolates.

Since Everest holds the title of the highest mountain in the world, tourists and climbers from all over the world gather at the foot of the mountain to make a difficult climb and conquer the inaccessible slopes of Qomolungma. Thanks to many years of experience of professionals, there is a large selection of safe routes. There are two most popular routes: following the Northern ridge from Tibet and along the Southeast ridge from Nepal. The latter is considered technically easier, so it is also recognized as the most popular among beginners.

Most of the ascents to the highest mountain in the world take place in May, and all because there are no powerful gusts of wind at this time. Also, October and September are very favorable months, but the large amount of snow formed after the monsoons makes climbing slightly difficult.
The Putorana Plateau is the lost world of Siberia, and here it is. Here is an American and famous one. It is impossible not to mention The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

Qomolungma is located in the Himalaya mountain system, namely in the Mahalangur-Himal range, which is located on the border of the Republic of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

The height of its northern peak, located in China and considered the main one, is 8848 meters. This is an absolute record among the highest mountains on Earth, of which there are 117 (all of them are concentrated in the region of Central and South Asia). The southern peak is slightly lower, 8760 meters, and can be called “international”: it is located on the border of two countries.

The mountain looks like a three-sided pyramid. The slope and ridges from the south are so steep that snow and glaciers cannot be held on them. The rock wall also has no snow cover. The remaining ribs, starting from about 5 km altitude, are covered by glaciers.

The part of Everest located on the Nepal side is part of the Sagarmatha National Park. This is exactly what Sagarmatha is called the highest peak of the world in Nepali (translated as “Heavenly Peak”). On this side it is obscured by the Nuptse (7879 m) and Lhotse (8516 m) mountains. Beautiful views of it open from the surrounding mountains of Kala Patthar and Gokyo Ri.

Chomolungma - this name is translated from Tibetan as “Mistress of the Winds” - one of ten mountain peaks, the so-called eight-thousanders, located in the Himalayas (there are only 14 of them in the world). Undoubtedly, it remains the most attractive target for climbers around the world.

How was the height of Everest calculated?

It is noteworthy that until 1852, the multi-peaked mountain range of Dhaulagiri, also located in the Himalayas, was considered the highest point on the planet. The first topographical studies, carried out from 1823 to 1843, did not refute this statement.

After some time, doubts began to arise, and the first to express them was the Indian mathematician Radhanath Sikdar. In 1852, being at a distance of 240 km from the mountain, he, using trigonometric calculations, made the assumption that Chomolungma, or, as it was then called, Peak XV, was the highest peak in the world. Only four years later, more accurate practical calculations confirmed this.

Data on the height of Chomolungma often changed: according to popular assumptions of that time, it was approximately 8872 meters. However, the English aristocrat and geodesist George Everest, who headed the geodetic survey of British India from 1830 to 1843, was the first to determine not only the exact location of the Himalayan peak, but also its height. In 1856, Chomolungma was given a new name, in honor of Sir Everest. But China and Nepal did not agree with this renaming, although the merits of the outstanding surveyor were beyond doubt.

Today, according to officially confirmed data, Everest is located at an altitude of 8 km 848 m above sea level, of which the last four meters are solid glaciers.

Who are these courageous pioneers?

Organizing ascents to the “roof of the world” and conducting scientific research there were difficult not only because of the high cost of such events. Nepal and then-independent Tibet remained closed to foreigners for a long time. Only in 1921 did the Tibetan authorities give the go-ahead and the first expedition began exploring possible routes to climb Everest along the northern slope. In 1922, monsoons and snowfalls prevented researchers from reaching the top, climbers used oxygen cylinders for the first time, and reached 8320 meters.

Englishman George Herbert Leigh Mallory, a 38-year-old assistant professor from Cambridge and a famous mountaineer with extensive experience, was obsessed with the idea of ​​​​conquering Everest. In 1921, a group under his leadership reached a height of 8170 meters and set up camp, and he himself went down in history as the person who first set out to conquer this proud and inaccessible height. Subsequently, he made two more ascent attempts, in 1922 and 1924. The third of them turned out to be the last and... fatal. On June 8, they, along with their teammate, 22-year-old student Andrew Irwin, went missing. From the ground they were last seen through binoculars at an altitude of approximately 8,500 meters. And then - that’s it: the fearless explorers suddenly disappeared from sight...

Mallory's fate became clear only 75 years later. On May 1, 1999, an American search expedition discovered the remains of a brave climber at an altitude of 8230 meters. There was no doubt that it was him: he was identified by the “J. Mallory,” as well as a letter from his wife found in his breast pocket. The corpse itself lay face down with outstretched arms, as if trying to embrace the mountain. When they turned him over, his eyes were closed, which meant only one thing: death did not come suddenly. Further examination of the remains of Chomolungma’s first victim showed that the legendary explorer suffered fractures of the tibia and fibula.

Thus, two versions were refuted at once: about death from a fall from a great height, and about death during the descent. As for Irwin, his body has not yet been found, although it is obvious to everyone that he also died then. And, most likely, then he was blown away by a strong wind into the nearest abyss, the depth of which is at least 2 km.

Another famous conqueror of Chomolungma was the British officer and mountaineer Edward Felix Norton, who in 1924 reached 8565 meters, which became an absolute record that stood for the next thirty years.

Between 1921 and 1952, about 11 unsuccessful ascent attempts were made. In 1952, an expedition from Switzerland tried twice to conquer the peak. But the high-altitude climbers returned with nothing.

In 1953, New Zealand climbers joined the English expedition. On May 29, 1953, 34-year-old New Zealander Edmund Hillary and 39-year-old Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people on Earth to ascend to the “roof of the world.” They spent only 15 minutes there: due to insufficient oxygen, they simply could not do any more. Norgay symbolically buried cookies and sweets in the snow as an offering to the gods. It's funny that he couldn't photograph a New Zealander; he only managed to capture a Nepalese at the top.

Tenzing Norgay tried seven times, together with other expeditions, to climb to the top of Chomolungma. Each time he did this with the special philosophy of a representative of a mountain people. As Sherpa later recalled in his book “Tiger of the Snows,” there was no bitterness in him. He felt like a child climbing onto his mother's lap.

How did they feel, a citizen of a distant island state in the Pacific Ocean and a native of a mountainous Himalayan kingdom, who became the first conquerors of the top of the world? They hugged each other and patted each other on the back with feeling. It is probably impossible to convey the whole gamut of these emotions in words.

The world learned about the conquest of Everest only three days later. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this event. The restless Hillary and the expedition crossed Antarctica a few years later. The British Queen Elizabeth II, who is also the monarch of New Zealand, knighted him. The New Zealand climber also became an honorary citizen of Nepal. In 1990, Hillary's son Peter climbed to the top.

After 1953, expeditions from the United States, India, Italy, and Japan were sent to the “roof of the world.” The first American to set foot on the top of Chomolungma was Jim Whittaker. This happened on May 1, 1963. After some three weeks, the world was waiting for a sensation akin to its first conquest - American climbers crossed the Western Ridge, where no human had ever set foot before.

Since 1975, representatives of the fairer sex have set out to storm the highest peak on the planet. The first woman to conquer Everest was a climber from the Land of the Rising Sun, Junko Tabei, and Polish citizen Wanda Rutkiewicz was the first European in this capacity. In 1990, the first Russian woman reached the top, it was Ekaterina Ivanova.

Desperate summit conquerors

More than 4 thousand people have already been to the top of Chomolungma. Many more than once. For example, the Nepalese climber Apa Sherpa conquered it 21 times. Scientists say that mountain dwellers find it easier to stay at such a height. Still, the record set by a local resident of Chhurim, who climbed to the top twice in a week, is surprising.

Everest exploration is primarily a test of the limits of human capabilities. The Italian R. Messner and the German P. Habeler climbed the mountain in May 1978 without oxygen masks. Messner subsequently climbed alone more than once and set a series of records. He was the first to conquer the peak during the monsoon period, walked without the help of porters, and mastered the new route in record time. When you study the biographies of such desperate daredevils, you understand that the desire to conquer peaks is like a passion or a disease.

In 1982, a Soviet expedition climbed Chomolungma for the first time along a difficult route from the southwestern wall. The selection of athletes was similar to the selection of astronauts. 11 people made the climb, one climber was without an oxygen mask, one climbed the summit at night. The photographs show that the beauty from such a natural observation deck is extraordinary. Words cannot describe what a wonderful sight this is at night, in the light of the stars.

How the blind American Erich Weihenmayer (2001) and Mark Inglis with amputated legs (2006) were able to reach the top is known only to them. The goal of the daredevils was to show people all over the world that achieving their goal is a reality. And they did it!

Extreme cases

In the history of the conquest of Everest, human courage often borders on madness. Man is tireless in his desire to set new records and achievements, especially of this kind, with the prospect of going down in history.

The first attempt to ski down from it was made by the Japanese Miura, who only miraculously did not fall into the abyss. French snowboarder Marco Siffredi was less fortunate. For the first time, the descent from the summit along the Norton Couloir ended safely. In 2001, the brave athlete wanted to take a different route, along the Hornbein Couloir - and went missing.

The speed of skiers can be judged by the descent of the Frenchman Pierre Tardevel. From a height of 8571 meters he traveled 3 km in 3 hours. In 1998, Frenchman Cyril Desremo was the first to descend from the summit on a snowboard. Back in 1933, the Marquess of Clydesdale and David McIntyre flew over the top of the mountain in a biplane (an airplane with two wings placed one above the other).

Pilot Didier Delsalle first landed a helicopter on the top of the mountain in 2005. They flew over Everest on hang gliders and paragliders, and jumped from planes using parachutes.

Climbing today

About 500 people a year decide to conquer Everest (Chomolungma). This is a very expensive pleasure. A rise is possible from both Nepal and China. Departure from the former will cost more, while from Chinese territory it is cheaper, but technically more difficult. Commercial firms that specialize in escorting you to the top of the highest mountain on the planet ask for between 40 and 80 thousand dollars. The amount includes the cost of modern equipment and payment for porters. The Nepal government permit alone can cost between $10,000 and $25,000. The rise itself lasts up to two months.

It is naive to think that without good health and proper physical training one can take on such a difficult and serious undertaking. Climbers will face the most difficult ascent, inhuman loads, cutting steps in the ice, building bridges over cracks in the harshest natural conditions. A person spends about 10,000 kilocalories per day when climbing Everest (instead of the usual 3 thousand). During the ascent, climbers lose up to 15 kg of weight. And not everything depends on them themselves, on the level of their training. A sudden hurricane or landslide can knock you off your feet and carry you into the abyss, and an avalanche can crush you like a small insect. Nevertheless, more and more daredevils decide to climb.

The capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, is reached by plane. The journey to base camp takes about two weeks. It is located at an altitude of 5364 meters. The path here is not very difficult, the difficulties begin further. During adaptation to the extreme conditions of Everest, ascents alternate with descents to the camp. The body gets used to thin air and cold. In preparation for the ascent, every detail is carefully checked. When a person is over an abyss, his life often depends on the strength of the cable and the steel carabiner driven into the rock.

Above 7500 meters the so-called “death zone” begins. There is 30% less oxygen in the air than under normal conditions. Blinding sun, knocking wind (up to 200 km per hour). Not everyone can withstand such realities, which one of the researchers compared with those on Mars.

A mild cold can result in pulmonary or cerebral edema. The cardiovascular system is working at its limit. Frostbite, fractures and dislocations during climbing are not uncommon. But you also need to go back down, which is no less difficult.

“The longest mile on Earth” is what climbers call the last 300 meters, the most difficult section. It is a steep, very smooth slope covered with snow. And here it is - the “roof of the world”...

Climatic conditions, flora and fauna

In summer, the temperature on Everest during the day does not rise above -19 degrees, and at night it drops to minus 50. The coldest month is January. Temperatures often drop to 60 degrees below zero.

Of course, in such extreme conditions the animal and plant world cannot be rich and diverse. On the contrary, it is very meager. However, it is here that the highest-living representative of the earth's fauna lives - the Himalayan jumping spider. Its individuals were discovered at an altitude of 6,700 meters, which seems simply unthinkable for the existence of life.

Somewhat lower, at a level of 5500 meters, a perennial herbaceous plant grows - yellow gentian. Even higher, at an altitude of 8,100 meters, the researchers observed the mountain jackdaw or chough, a member of the corvid family, a close relative of the alpine jackdaw.

Ecological situation

Recently, scientists have been sounding the alarm and calling for access to the highest peak in the world to be closed. The reason is the catastrophic level of pollution of Everest and its surroundings.

Everyone who comes here leaves behind about 3 kg of garbage. According to preliminary estimates, more than 50 tons of waste have accumulated on the mountain. Teams of volunteers have been organized to clear the slopes of traces of human activity.

However, modern equipment and established routes only increase the number of visitors here; there are even traffic jams on the routes. And the flow of tourists to the foot of Chomolungma is growing every year...

Trying to answer the question: where is Everest located and in which country will you need to say a lot. Everest is located in the Himalayas, everyone knows this. But not many people know what they are.

And with Everest itself, not everything is simple, since the immediate peak of Everest is located on the territory of the People's Republic of China, but it can be reached not only from China. After all, the base of the mountain is located on the territory of two countries - Nepal and China. Accordingly, the routes of conquest come from different directions.

Everest location

In the southern part of central Asia, north of the Bay of Bengal, which separates the Hindustan and Indochina peninsulas, there is a huge mountain range that is the highest on the entire planet.

This is the Himalayas, where 10 of the 14 highest mountains in the world are located, exceeding eight thousand meters in height. The four remaining eight-thousanders are located in the Karakoram system, which adjoins Tibet on the western side. Both the Himalayas and Karakoram mountain systems include several mountain ranges, which are located simultaneously in different countries and are the boundaries of their territories. In the Himalayas these are the Mahalangur Himal, Kanchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Nangaparbat, Annapurna and Langtang ranges. On different sides of insurmountable ridges lived people not only of different nationalities, but also of different ways of life, different faiths and speaking different languages. And naturally they called “their” mountains in their own way, without even thinking that the people living on the other side gave them “their” names.

This happened with the largest mountain range, the Mahalangur Himal, on one side of which Nepalese lived, and on the other, Tibetans. Moreover, both Nepalese and Tibetans, not even knowing that between them there was the highest mountain range and the highest mountain in the world, deified this peak. The Tibetans called her Chomolungma, which translated means “Holy Mother” or “Goddess - Mother of the Earth”, this name was given to her by the name of Sherab Zhamma, the goddess of the national religion of the Tibetans. The Nepalese called the mountain “Jomo Kang Kar”, which means “Lady of the White Snows”.

Where is Mount Everest?

Everest is nothing more than the highest part of the Mahalangur Himal range, a mountain range called the Khumbu Himal. And these are several peaks, the two highest of which are the main ones.

Oddly enough, it is quite difficult to understand where Everest is, even if you are almost in close proximity to it. This is due to the fact that Everest is surrounded by the highest peaks. The main northern peak of Everest itself has the shape of a triangular pyramid. Its southern slope is steeper, so freshly fallen snow and even last year’s blackened snow, called firn, does not linger on the slope itself and its edges, so this side is usually bare. The height of the North-Eastern ridge is 8393 meters.

• On the southern side of Everest, across the South Col pass at 7906 m, there is Lhotse Peak - 8516 meters, which is sometimes mistakenly called the South Summit.
• To the north, beyond the steep North Col with a height of 7020 m, there is Changze Peak - 7543 meters.
• In the east of the massif there is a completely impassable steep cliff wall Kangshung - this is 3350 meters of almost vertical rock.

The height of Everest itself from the base to the top is exactly the same - 3550 meters. Glaciers descend from the massif in all directions, ending at an altitude of about 5 km. Part of Chomolungma located on the territory of Nepal is part of the Nepalese Sagarmatha National Park.

Name of the highest mountain in the world

It is noteworthy that the name of the highest mountain in the world, Chomolungma, was first recorded in writing on a map in 1717. This map was made by French Jesuit missionaries who visited Tibet at that time. However, the map was a sketchy map, it did not have elevation marks and did not receive wide publicity, and the name Chomolungma did not attract the attention of geographers of that time.

The European name of the mountain, Everest, appeared much later. At the beginning of the 19th century in India, which was then a British colony, the Royal Geographical Society began to conduct thorough geodetic surveys. George Everest served in the British East India Company that carried out this survey. Serving for over 37 years from 1806 to 1843 as Chief Surveyor of India, George Everest created Indian geodesy and cartography almost from scratch. For which in 1827 he became a member of the Royal Geographical Society. Having risen to the rank of colonel, George Everest returned to his homeland in 1843 and continued to work at the Royal Geographical Society. For special services in 1861 he was awarded a knighthood. And from 1862 to 1865 he was vice-president of the Royal Geographical Society.

After himself in India, George Everest left a worthy successor, Andrew Waugh, who continued his work. Before this, maps of almost all of India were created. The mountainous regions located to the north were of great interest; the highest peaks of the mountain range were located there. However, since the territory of Nepal was then closed to foreigners, surveyors carried out measurements from a distance. The geodetic instruments at their disposal even then made it possible to do this.

Andrew Waugh recruited to this work the gifted Bengali mathematician Radhanath Sikdar, who was educated at the College in Calcutta and on the recommendation of college teacher John Tytler, at the age of 19, who was accepted by George Everest into the expedition as a “computer” with a meager salary of 30 rupees per month. In a very short time, Sikdar established himself as a specialist with a high level of geodetic skill. Moreover, it was he who created new techniques for studying heights at a distance. By the way, among his achievements was a formula for converting barometer readings taken at different temperatures to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, which is still used today.

In 1852, Andrew Waugh commissioned Sikdar to measure the snowy peaks in the Darjeeling region where the British built a hill station and near which is the Kanchenjunga peak (8598 m), then considered the highest in the entire Himalayan mountain system. After six measurements from different positions, Sikdar came to the conclusion that the height indicated on the map as Peak XV, located almost 200 kilometers from Darjeeling, is higher than Kanchenjunga Peak by as much as 250 meters. It turned out that the height of Peak XV is 8848 meters above sea level and this peak is the highest on earth. He reported this to his supervisor. However, this information was published only a few years later, after repeated verification and reconciliation with other sources.

According to the rules established by George Everest, this mountain had to be given a local name. However, neither Andrew Waugh nor his employees knew what it was called, and therefore, paying tribute to his former boss, Andrew proposed to name this peak after George Everest. With this name, the last created map was sent to Britain, to the Royal Geographical Society. And Peak XV was officially given the name Everest.

This name was not accepted in the Soviet Union for quite a long time, and on maps published in the USSR this peak was listed as Chomolungma almost until 1985. Likewise, the government of Nepal did not recognize the Chinese name Qomolangma and in 1965 the Nepalese gave it their own name “Sagarmatha” meaning “Heavenly Peak”. This confusion existed until recently, until a compromise was found in the cartographic world. Now on modern maps this entire mountain range is called Chomolungma, and the peak, 8848 m high, is designated as Everest (Sagarmatha). The area adjacent to the peak north of Kathmandu, with an area of ​​1,148 square kilometers, has been declared Sagarmatha National Park since 1976.

History of conquest

It is believed that mountaineering as a sport dates back to the first ascent of Mont Blanc by Michel-Gabriel Packard and Jacques Balmat on August 8, 1786. Since then, August 8 has been celebrated around the world as International Climber Day. And although the height of Mont Blanc is only 4810 meters, at that time it was a feat. And at the same time, it was a start to conquering higher peaks. Very quickly, many followers of Michel and Jacques were found, who, despite mortal dangers, lack of experience and the necessary equipment, began to climb famous peaks, rising higher and higher. So in 1799 A. Humboldt climbed the Chimborazo peak at a height of 5800 meters in South America. In 1829, the guide of the expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Killar Khashirov, alone climbed Elbrus at a height of 5642 meters. In 1907, T. Longstaff and X. Broquereli conquered the seven-thousander Trisul 7123 m.

So, one after another, all the European peaks were conquered, and then all the famous peaks of America, Africa, and New Zealand. But the desperate daredevils did not stop there. A dream arose to climb the “Roof of the World,” as climbers dubbed the Himalayas, including the highest mountain on our planet - Everest Peak. There have been many attempts to climb the peaks of the Himalayas and Karakoram. Moreover, teams from different countries “mastered” different picks. So the Germans tried to conquer Kanchenjunga and Nanga Parbat, the Americans and Italians stormed Chogori, and the British stubbornly tried to take Everest.

The British Geographical Society specifically created the Everest Committee, whose task was to organize expeditions to Everest. The British developed a plan to climb the highest mountain in the world back in 1893, but the first attempt to climb Everest was only in 1921. At that time, Nepal was ruled by Maharaja Chandra Shamshera from the Rana family and any mountaineering by foreigners was prohibited. The Tibetans also did not immediately agree to allow the British into their territory, and only at the insistence of the Viceroy of India, the Dalai Lama agreed to allow the English expedition to Chomolungma. Therefore, it was decided to storm Everest not from the Nepalese side, but from the north, from Tibet. The point where the expedition was equipped was the city of Darjeeling, in West Bengal. From Darjeeling, the route ran first to the northeast, in order to go around Nepal from the east, and then through the territory of Tibet to the west along the Nepalese border. In total, the expedition covered almost 500 km from Darjeeling to the foot of Everest.

The first expedition was led in 1921 by Colonel Howard Bury. In addition to the climbers, the expedition included a geologist and two topographers. This expedition turned out to be a reconnaissance expedition, which determined the route along which it was possible to get to the foot of Chomolungma and then climb to the peak. In addition, due to the peculiarities of the climate, the most convenient time of year was established to avoid winds and monsoons, as well as the condition of the snow allowing ascent. According to their calculations, the ascent should be made only during a period of relatively stable meteorological conditions, that is, in May - June (before the monsoons) and in September - November (after the monsoons). Here they are, Participants of the 1921 expedition. From left to right stand: A.F.R. Wollaston, Charles Howard-Bury, Alexander Heron, Harold Raeburn seated: George Mallory, Oliver Wheeler, Guy Bullock, Henry T. Morshead.

The second expedition was organized in 1922. They set off at the end of May. The expedition was led by General Bruce. Along the route planned in 1921, from Darjeeling to the start of the ascent, everything needed was delivered on pack yaks, and then to the lower camp at the foot of Everest, Tibetan porters carried all the property on themselves. Then the role of porters was played by Nepalese from the Sherpa tribe, who live in the mountains and are accustomed to thin air. The Sherpa tribe subsequently began to provide all Himalayan expeditions with guides and porters, which became their profession.

The ascent route was determined along the Rongbuk glacier, then along the slope to the North Col, where an intermediate camp was established, and then along the northern ridge and northern slope. During the first attempt, we rose to a height of 8138 m. During the second attempt, we reached 8321 m. There was still another 519 m to climb to the top, which was only 1 km horizontally. But a strong wind arose, and the main climbers Bruce and Finch, despite oxygen equipment, developed altitude sickness and had to descend to the lower camp.

On June 6, the last attempt was made to climb from the lower camp to the North Col. 3 climbers and 14 Sherpa porters went on the assault. They walked in four groups. The upper two ligaments were not damaged, but 7 Sherpas died in the lower ones. This tragedy once again confirmed the correctness of Howard Bury's assumption that climbing avalanche slopes after the onset of the monsoon is very dangerous.

The next attempt to climb the highest mountain in the world was made in 1924. The expedition was again led by General Bruce. However, on the way he fell ill with malaria and Norton led the ascent group. Like the last time, Sherpa porters lifted all the necessary equipment to the Northern ridge to a height of 8170 m. They set up an upper camp there and began the ascent from there. Two men, Norton and Sommervell, went on the assault. We walked without oxygen equipment. At an altitude of 8540 m, Sommerwell stopped unable to go further. Norton climbed alone to a height of 8573 m and also abandoned further ascent. The climbers, severely frostbitten, with great difficulty descended to the upper camp, and then with the help of Sherpas down.

In the same year, the Englishmen Mallory and Irwin tried once again to make the ascent. We walked with oxygen devices. But they also failed. Having reached approximately an altitude of 8500 meters, they died, most likely falling off the cliffs. During an expedition in 1933, an ice ax belonging to one of them was found at this height. The expedition turned out to be extremely unsuccessful, because another Englishman and one of the Tibetan porters died. After Everest took the lives of the best English climbers, for a long time no one dared to repeat their attempts. Here are these brave pioneers: Irwin and Mallory are standing on the left, Somervell is sitting third from the left.

After everything that happened, the Dalai Lama forbade these attempts, and only in 1933 did the Everest Committee succeed in resuming the expedition to Everest.

The participants of the first expeditions were no longer able to participate in this due to their age; the expedition was led by Ruttledge, and almost the entire team was new. The ascent was carried out along the same route through the North Col. The Sherpas lifted the entire load to a height of 8350 m, from where the ascent began once again. As a result of two attempts, a height of 8565 m was reached. Then, due to strong winds, it was decided to stop the assault.

In the same 1933, the British organized an expedition over Everest by plane; before that, no airplane had ever attempted this. Two Westland biplanes took part. The first P.V.3 (G-ACAZ) was flown by Marcus Douglas, with Lieutenant Colonel Steward Blaker flying as observer. The second, Westland P.V.6 Wallace (G-ACBR), was piloted by David McIntyre, with photographer Sydney Bonnet flying in the rear cockpit. The planes had aerial cameras for mapping. The crews had oxygen apparatus. Warm clothes protected them from the cold. During the second flight, aerial photographs were taken.

In 1934, an attempt to climb Everest was made by 34-year-old Englishman Maurice Wilson, whom many considered not entirely normal. He imagined that it was possible to climb Everest only after a three-week fast, during which a person would cleanse himself of earthly filth and strengthen his body and spirit. At first, he wanted to fly to Everest by plane, land on its slope, and then climb to the top on foot. But in India, the British authorities detained his plane.

Then he and three Sherpa guides, dressed in Tibetan clothes, reached Everest on foot. He managed to climb to the third base camp of the early expeditions, from where he made several ascent attempts. But since he had no mountaineering experience at all, his mind couldn’t do it. Seeing this, the Sherpas left. Left alone and eating the remnants of food from the previous expedition, he continued his attempts, which were in vain. As a result, he froze in this third base camp. His remains and diary were found by members of the next expedition in 1935.

Such attempts to enter Tibet and climb Everest without permission from the authorities were made twice after that. So in 1947, the Canadian Denman and his porters reached the third camp, but could not even climb the North Col. The same fate befell the Dane Larsen in 1951. By the way, Denman’s guide was Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who later in 1953 took part in the victorious ascent and was the first to climb the peak.

In 1935, another British expedition was organized under the command of Shipton. The purpose of this expedition was not the climb to the top itself, but to find out the conditions on the slopes during the monsoon, is the snow compacted on the slopes? In July, they climbed the North Col, but when they saw that part of the slope had been demolished by an avalanche, they abandoned further attempts. But they didn’t waste any time and in two months they successfully climbed 26 peaks located around Everest, including five of which exceeded 7000 m.

In 1936, Ruttledge and Shipton and their team again attempted to climb Everest from the north. The ascent took place in the spring. They climbed safely along their previous route to the North Col, but unusually early, on April 22, the monsoon blew, and when attempting to climb the col, Shipton miraculously escaped an avalanche. The ascent had to be stopped.

1938, a new English expedition led by Tilman again goes to storm Everest. The preparations were carried out especially carefully. Six camps were set up along the route. Sherpa porters lifted the entire load to the upper sixth camp at an altitude of 8290 m. However, it snowed heavily and a deep, loose snow cover formed, which filled all the ice crevices and depressions, and severe frost hit, so the climb to the top had to be cancelled.

Then the Second World War began and there was no time for recovery. And after the war, the Tibetan government did not give permission for the expedition for a long time. And only in 1950, under pressure from the British government, Nepal allowed expeditions to be carried out on their territory. Beginning in 1950, the British and French equipped expeditions to study eastern Nepal. And in the same year, the Frenchmen Mauriceau Herzog and Louis Lachenal conquered the first eight-thousander Annapurna, 8075 meters high.

In 1950, the Americans joined the research. In the fall of 1950, an American expedition, in which the Englishman Tillman participated, approached Everest from the south and carefully examined its southern slopes. The approach from the south to the base of Everest was much more difficult than the northern one, but the section above 7000 meters, on the contrary, was easier and, according to the conclusion of the expedition, the assault on the peak from the south side could be successful.

The following year, 1951, the Everest Committee equipped an expedition under the command of Shipton to study the possibility of climbing Everest from the south. As a result of a long, difficult search, a route was chosen through the left branch of the Khumbu glacier, to the South Col and then to the top along the South-East ridge. However, this expedition itself did not make the ascent due to the fact that the search for a convenient place for the ascent took too much time and winter was already approaching.

In 1952, a Swiss expedition led by Wyss-Dunant followed this route. In addition to the climbers, the expedition included a geologist, a botanist and an ethnographer. They safely climbed the South Col and walked along the Southeast Ridge. At 8405 meters, an upper camp was set up, in which the Swiss Lambert and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay rested and went up the next day. However, they were only able to climb to a height of 8600 m, because their oxygen devices failed and they had to stop climbing. In the autumn of the same year, the Swiss repeated their attempt to climb, but frost of more than 40° and strong winds on the South-East ridge did not make it possible to continue the ascent. In addition, one Sherpa died during the descent.

The first conquerors of Everest

At that time, there was a concept according to which climbing the highest mountains in the world was proof of the advantage and priority of a certain nation. Therefore, each country separately equipped its expeditions to the highest peak. But considering that the government of Nepal allowed foreigners to conduct only one expedition per year, and teams from different countries had their own climbing experience, it was decided to create an international expedition. The British Everest Committee invited the most famous climbers from other countries at that time to take part in the expedition, including New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who last year climbed with Lambert to a height of 8600 m.

John Hunt was appointed head of the expedition. In total, the expedition included about 400 people, including 20 Sherpa guides and 362 porters, because the weight of equipment that had to be carried to the summit site was more than 10,000 pounds. Tensing led the porters, and was also a porter and a member of the ascent group.

The ascent began in the spring. Already in March, the base camp was established, and a little later, at an altitude of 7890 meters, the final camp. John Hunt appointed two groups of main climbers: the first group - Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, the second group - Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Edmund Hillary did not want to go with Tenzing, but together with his friend George Lowe, and only after much persuasion did he agree.

On May 26, Bourdillon and Evans were the first to go on the assault, but on the way Evans’ oxygen apparatus failed, and a stormy wind blew and snow began to fall, they were forced to return. For two days the weather prevented us from starting a new attempt. And only on May 28, Hillary and Tenzing, with three accompanying people, set off on their journey. A tent was set up at 8500 meters. This was the eighth assault camp. The accompanying people returned downstairs, and Hillary and Tenzing stayed overnight in a tent.

In the morning it turned out that Hillary, who took off his boots at night and put them under his head, they were completely frozen and it took them two hours to defrost them over the flame of the primus and knead them. When Hillary was able to put on his shoes, it was already six thirty minutes in the morning, it was time to hit the road. This is how Tenzing described it in his memoirs: “It was May 29, half past six in the morning. The air is clear, there is silence all around. We pulled three pairs of gloves onto our hands: first silk, then wool, and canvas on top of them. They put crampons on their legs and oxygen devices weighing sixteen kilograms on their backs. I tightly wrapped four flags around the ice ax: Nepal, India, the United Nations and Great Britain. In my jacket pocket there was a small, chewed piece of my daughter’s colored pencil.”

They walked along the route alternately, with first one and then the other walking ahead. The climb to the South Peak was a continuous snow wall of loose snow that was constantly crumbling. My feet kept slipping, every minute I could slide down, this was the most difficult part of the path. By nine o'clock we climbed to the South Peak. There was only 300 feet to go along a narrow ridge, to the left and right of which there were chasms more than 8,000 feet deep, and between them a narrow ridge. Slowly, supporting each other, we walked along the ridge. The last obstacle was a huge rock on the ridge. We climbed the rock with difficulty and rested for a while. After which, having overcome several snow drifts, we found ourselves on the last snowdrift behind which there was nothing but the blue sky. This was the top. The clock showed 11:30 am.

They stayed at the top for only 15 minutes. During this time they planted the flags, Hillary photographed Tenzing. There is no photo of Hillary at the top. Whether Tenzing could not use the camera, or Hillary himself did not want to be photographed is not clear. Well, Tenzing also put his daughter Nima’s pencil and a bag of sweets in the snow as an offering to the gods. Having already gone downstairs, Hillary and Tensing took a photo together. Here is a photo that has spread all over the world

The heroes of this expedition received worldwide recognition. Queen Elizabeth II received this news on the day of her coronation and granted knighthood to Edmund Hillary and John Hunt. Tenzing Norgay was awarded the St. George's Medal. They said that Elizabeth II wanted to make him a knight, but since he belonged to the lower Sherpa caste, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the Prime Minister of India at that time, forbade Tenzing to receive a knighthood.

But the King of Nepal, Gribuban, awarded Tenzing the highest order of Nepal - the Nepal Star and put his personal plane at his disposal, on which Tenzing and his family flew to New Delhi. And then Tenzing and his wife were in London at a reception with the Queen. After this, a school of high-mountain mountaineering was founded in Darjeeling, and Tenzing Norgay became its director.

The fate of the heroes turned out differently. Tenzing Norgay did not take part in any more climbs. The mountaineering school was transformed into the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and Tenzing served as its director until 1976. In 1976 he retired. He also visited the Soviet Union.

Sir Edmund Hillary, after conquering the third pole of the Earth, began polar exploration. He led the New Zealand expedition to Antarctica. In 1958 he led the first expedition to the South Pole. In 1960, he organized the creation of the New Zealand Scott Base in Antarctica. Returning to Nepal in 1960, he worked on issues of social welfare for Nepalese residents. Helped build schools and hospitals. Organized the construction of two airfields, which contributed to the development of tourism business in Nepal. Enjoying great prestige among the Nepalese government, he organized the creation of a national park in the foothills of Everest, for which he was later awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of Nepal.” Until the end of his life, Edmund Hillary was involved in problems of environmental protection and organizing humanitarian assistance to the population of Nepal.

A team of Soviet climbers first climbed Everest in 1982, becoming the 25th expedition to reach the summit. 17 of the best athletes were selected for the USSR national team, which was to climb Everest.

The climbers for the ascent were divided into four teams:

1. Eduard Myslovsky, Nikolai Cherny, Vladimir Balyberdin, Vladimir Shopin;
2. Valentin Ivanov, Sergey Efimov, Mikhail Turkevich, Sergey Bershov;
3. Ervand Ilyinsky, Sergey Chepchev, Kazbek Valiev, Valery Khrishchaty;
4. Vyacheslav Onishchenko, Valery Khomutov, Vladimir Puchkov, Alexey Moskaltsov, Yuri Golodov.

The ascent was carried out along a more difficult route from the southwestern side, which no one had previously attempted to climb. The preparation time was almost a month and a half. On March 21, at an altitude of 5340 m, the main base camp was set up, from which the processing of routes and the preparation of high-altitude camps began. Only by May 3, routes were processed and six camps were equipped: on March 21, an intermediate camp at an altitude of 6100m; March 22 1st camp at an altitude of 6500m; March 31, 2nd camp at an altitude of 7350m; April 12, 3rd camp at an altitude of 7850m; March 18 4th camp at an altitude of 8250m and May 3rd assault camp at an altitude of 8500m. When everything was carefully prepared, the teams went to storm the peak.

We walked with a time gap, so two groups climbed to the peak at night. Several climbers were injured. In total, 11 people climbed the peak.

The Soviet flag was planted on the highest mountain in the world, and the USSR government was informed that the ascent of a group of Soviet climbers to Everest was dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the USSR.

All expedition participants received the title of Honored Masters of Sports. No other expedition went along this route.

Russian climbers have visited the highest peak of the world more than once. So in 1990, as part of the “Peace Expedition” organized by the American Jim Whittaker, the Russian woman Ekaterina Ivanova climbed Mount Everest. In 1992, a team of Lada Everest climbers from Togliatti, consisting of 32 people, climbed to the top and planted the flag of Russia and AvtoVAZ there.

In 1995, a team of Russians dedicated their ascent to Everest in honor of the 50th victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. They were the first to climb through the North Col. The flag of the USSR was raised on the peak, which was presented to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War upon their return home.

In the spring of 2004, a group of 20 Russian climbers from several cities: Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Sochi, Rostov-on-Don, Tolyatti, Krasnoyarsk, Novokuznetsk, Kirov, Podolsk climbed to the top along the center of the Northern Wall - this is the most difficult route among all climbs .

Since the first ascent of Everest, more than four thousand climbers have climbed. And although they say that the ascent to Everest Peak is now on stream, more than 500 people take part in the ascent every year, there is no guarantee that it will go well. More than two hundred climbers died on its slopes, in gorges and in snowy abysses. But, despite these sacrifices, the number of people who want to visit the third pole not only does not decrease, but increases every year. They face enormous difficulties involving the risk of their lives, but they strive to reach this peak so that they can look at the planet from the roof of the world for a few minutes.

Everest, or another name Chomolungma, is the highest mountain on Earth. Let's find out where she is.

Where is Everest?

Mount Everest has 2 peaks, the highest is the northern one, 8848 m high, the southern one – 8760 m high.

Mount Everest got its name from George Everest, an English surveyor who spent more than 37 years studying this area. This is a European name; the inhabitants of Tibet (China) call their mountain Chomolungma, and for the inhabitants of Nepal the name of the mountain sounds like Sagarmatha.

Chomolungma is located in the Himalayan mountain range (South Asia), which is located on the territory of 5 countries: China, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and India.

The northern peak of Everest belongs to China, and the southern peak is on the Sino-Nepalese border.

The Himalayan mountains extend over 3000 km and are 350 km wide.

Climbing Everest is carried out from Chinese and Nepalese territory.

When was Everest formed?

The Himalayan mountains were formed about 60 million years ago, during the Jurassic-Triassic periods. The mountains were formed by the collision of two tectonic plates: Asian and Indian. The mountains “grow” to this day.

Mount Everest is composed of the following rocks:

• Shales are dark, fine-grained.
• White crystallized limestones.
• The corneas are striped dark green.

Almost at the very top there are intrusions with veins of quartz and granite.

A little about climbing Everest?

It takes about 40 days to visit the peaks of Everest. First, climbers undergo acclimatization (getting used to the mountains) in the mountains lower in altitude, in the main base camps, of which there are only 2. Acclimatization is necessary in order not to get mountain sickness.

Even before the ascent, you need special nutrition - eat a lot of rice and pasta to stock up on energy, because more than 10 thousand kcal are spent in the mountains every day.

There is not enough oxygen in the mountains, so most climbers climb high peaks like Everest with oxygen tanks, which they begin to use when the altitude approaches 8 thousand meters above sea level.

Another negative factor on Everest is that the air temperature can drop to -62ᵒC, and also hurricane winds, so climbers wear goose down clothing.

In order not to “fly” from the cliff, Everest conquerors use synthetic ropes (nylon), 10 mm in diameter, and ice axes for fastening; they put “crampons” on their boots - special devices with metal spikes.

The first conquerors of Everest were the Englishman Edmund Hillary and the Nepalese Tenzing Norgay. This happened in 1953.

So now we know where Everest is.

Nepal is blessed with unusual sights. Not only is the country known as the birthplace of Buddha; Most of the highest peaks in the world are located here, 8 of the 14 “eight-thousanders”. These include the tallest mountain on the planet - Everest.

She is also known by the name "Chomolungma": translated from Tibetan - "Divine Mother of Life". The international name “Everest” was given to the mountain in honor of the head of the geodetic survey of British India, Sir George Everest, simply because it was the employees of this institution who first measured the height of Chomolungma in 1852, proving that its Peak XV is the highest in the region and, probably, in the whole world .

True, with the height of Everest, not everything is so obvious. Indian mathematician and topographer Radhanat Sikdar (an employee of that same service), based on trigonometric calculations and being 240 kilometers from Chomolungma, only suggested that this is the highest peak in the world. Practical calculations made 4 years later gave a figure of 29,002 feet (8840 meters), proving the theory.

And then Everest was measured repeatedly, and from time to time it “increased” - up to 8872 meters, depending on the methods. Currently, the officially recognized level is 8848 meters above sea level, of which four meters are covered by the snow cap.

Here, in the world of rocks, snow and eternal ice, frosts down to minus 60 ° C prevail, and at the top strong winds blow at speeds of up to 200 km/h. At an altitude of 7925 meters, the so-called “death zone” begins, where only 30% of oxygen is concentrated. Add to this the constant ice falls and avalanches - and it becomes obvious why no one could climb to the top for quite a long time. And even now, despite progress and all kinds of technologies, the ascent takes an average of two months, since it is done in stages: with the installation of a camp for acclimatization.

Another difficulty in conquering Chomolungma was that the mountain lies on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet). From time to time, either Nepal or China, or even both states at the same time, were closed to foreigners. One way or another, the first ascent was made on May 29, 1953 by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillar, after a numerous series of failures of previous expeditions.

The mountain has several names. The most common is Everest, named after the Englishman John Everest, who led the British Indian Survey from 1830 to 1843. In Tibet, the peak is usually called Chomolungma, which means “divine.” In Nepal, the name Sagarmatha, meaning “Mother of the Gods,” stuck.

In total, about 4,000 people have conquered Everest to date - we are talking about those who reached the top. It is impossible to count the number of tourists with their shortened tours. Many of those who reached the very “roof of the world” set various kinds of records. This includes climbing without oxygen cylinders, staying without oxygen for almost a day, and skiing down from Everest... In 2001, blind American Eric Weihenmayer climbed to the top of Everest, in 2006 - Mark Inglis, a climber with two amputated legs. And the first woman to conquer Chomolungma was the Japanese woman Junko Tabei in 1976.

The British had been planning expeditions to Everest since 1893, but due to various reasons the expedition was postponed year after year. Only in 1921 was the first group equipped. The start was taken from Darjeeling. The purpose of the expedition was to explore climbing routes on the northern slope. In subsequent years, the British made more than once attempts to conquer the main peak of the world, but weather conditions and lack of climbing experience did not allow them to conquer Everest. The result of these attempts was only the death of several people; the mountain still remained inaccessible...

The desire to conquer the “divine”, after a number of similar unsuccessful campaigns, was repulsed by the British for a long time, and only after the Second World War did people again turn their gaze to the top of the rebellious mountain. Again a number of preliminary expeditions were carried out, the purpose of which was to deliver equipment to the slopes of Everest. These were preparations for the breakthrough of the main group. And so on May 29, 1953, Tenzing Norgam and Edmund Hillary ascended to the top of the world...

However, Everest is, in the full sense of the word, a mountain of death. Storming this height, the climber knows that he has a chance not to return. Death can be caused by lack of oxygen, heart failure, frostbite or injury. Fatal accidents, such as a frozen oxygen cylinder valve, also lead to death. Moreover: the path to the top is so difficult that, as one of the participants in the Russian Himalayan expedition, Alexander Abramov, said, “at an altitude of more than 8,000 meters you cannot afford the luxury of morality. Above 8,000 meters you are completely occupied with yourself, and in such extreme conditions you do not have extra strength to help your comrade.” The tragedy that happened on Everest in May 2006 shocked the whole world: 42 climbers passed by the slowly freezing Englishman David Sharp, but no one helped him. One of them were television crews from the Discovery Channel, who tried to interview the dying man and, after photographing him, left him alone...

Over all these years of climbing Everest, more than 200 people died, and only a few bodies were lowered from the top. The rest are buried by meters of snow or exposed to the winds and “meet” other climbers on the way to the top. These are the laws of Everest: the higher the altitude, the less humanity remains in people. It happened more than once that a rising group could help those in trouble, but to provide help means ending the campaign, giving up a dream. Many passed by, and when they walked back, help was no longer needed.

Vladimir Vysotsky has a song “Only mountains can be better than mountains,” and it’s true. The only exception is Chomolungma. What does a climber experience when he has conquered the main peak in his life? Joy or disappointment that the main goal has been achieved and there will be “smaller” mountains in the future?!

Initially, the peak was not considered the highest in the world; according to the results of the first topographic survey (1823-1843), it was included in the classifier as peak “XV” (Dhualagiri was in the lead on this list). And only after the second topographic survey (1845-1850) everything fell into place. In 1921, the first expedition to Chomolungma with the aim of reconnaissance of the ascent route from the north, from Tibet. Based on reconnaissance data, the British, under the leadership of Mallory, stormed the peak in 1922, but the monsoon, snowfall and lack of experience in high-altitude ascents did not give them the opportunity to climb. In 1924, the third expedition to Chomolungma. The group spent the night at an altitude of 8125 m, the next day one of the participants (Norton) reached a height of 8527 m, but was forced to return. A few days later, a second attempt was made to storm the north-eastern ridge (a team of Mallory, Irwin using oxygen cylinders), the climbers did not return, there is still an opinion that they could have been on the top of Chomolungma. Subsequent pre-war expeditions to the area did not bring new ones results. In 1952, a Swiss expedition set out to storm Everest from the south. Twice in 1952, Lambert and Norgay Tenzing climbed above 8,000 meters, but in both cases the weather forced them to turn back. In 1953, an English expedition led by Colonel Hunt went to Everest (Qomolungma), and they were also joined by New Zealand climbers, one of whom was E. Hillary, they were supposed to help the British cross the Khumbu Icefall, Sherpa Norgay Tenzing was included in the assault group. There is a legend that the conquest of Everest was being prepared as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her coronation. On May 27, the first pair - the Englishmen Evans and Bourdillon - reached the southern peak, where they left oxygen and a tent for the next assault group. And on May 29, 1953, Sherpa Norgay Tenzing and New Zealander Edmund Hillary reached the summit. On May 8, 1978, R. Messner and P. Habeler accomplished what was considered impossible - the first ascent of Everest without oxygen. Messner described his feelings this way: “In a state of spiritual abstraction, I no longer belonged to myself, to my vision. I am nothing more than a lonely panting lung, floating above the mists and peaks.” On May 16, 1975, the first woman climbed Everest, it was Junko Tabei (Japan). The first ascent of Soviet climbers to the highest peak on Earth took place in May 1982. A Soviet team of 9 people climbed to the top of Everest along a very difficult, previously unclimbed route along the southwest face.