Mount Everest amazing facts. The most shocking facts about Everest

Climbing Mount Everest is the dream of many people, both experienced climbers and beginners. Some of them managed to accomplish this dangerous feat, while the rest are only inspired by their determination and firmness of character.

Mount Everest attracted many visitors and, unfortunately, took many lives on this dangerous path. Nevertheless, the thirst for adventure did not stop pulling along, and today Mount Everest is still a big goal for many. In this article, we will talk about important points associated with the highest mountain in the world.

Mount Everest is the most high mountain on Earth, its height reaches 8848 meters above sea level. The first climbers to reach the peak were New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his guide Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who summited it on May 29, 1953 at 11:30 am. And although the success of this enterprise is attributed to the entire group, Tenzing later admitted that it was Edmund Hillary who first set foot on the top of this mountain!

Mount Everest is part of the Himalayan mountains, it is located between the Sagarmatha zone, Tibet, Nepal and China.

Mount Everest also has other names! In Tibet, it is known as "Chomolungma" or "Qomolangma". The Chinese translated her name as "Shèngmǔ Fēng", but it is rarely used. locals in Darjeeling they call it "Deodungha", which means "Holy Mountain".

Although Mount Everest is known as the highest peak above sea level, there are actually other high mountains on Earth. If measured from the foot, then the most high mountain considered the volcano Mauna Kea (Mauna Kea), located on Hawaiian Islands. Its height from the base is 10200 m, but it rises only 4205 m above sea level.

There are two important routes leading to the top of Mount Everest. One such route follows the southeast mountain range from Nepal, and the other follows the northeast mountain range from Tibet. It is believed that the first of them is relatively easier to climb. In addition to these routes, there are others that are not used so often.

The first people to climb Mount Everest via the southeast mountain range without supplemental oxygen, were Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler. They accomplished this feat on May 8, 1978.

In addition, on August 20, 1980, Reinhold Messner made the first solo ascent to the summit of Mount Everest. This time he used a rather difficult route through the northwest side.

Here's another one interesting fact about Mount Everest. According to the Nepalese government, the youngest climber to climb Mount Everest was a 15-year-old Sherpa girl. Their data also suggests that the youngest foreign woman to summit Mount Everest was 18-year-old Samantha Larson, who made the ascent in 2007.

Mount Everest is home to very small black jumping spiders. These spiders hide in crevices and feed on frozen insects. Their food depends to a large extent on what gusts of wind bring with them.

Written documents testify that on May 14, 2005, a French pilot
Didier Delsalle set a world record by landing a production Eurocopter AS 350 B3 helicopter at the very top of Mount Everest.

In 2007, Australian climber Christian Stangi achieved the fastest ascent of Mount Everest. He climbed to the top along the northeast mountain range.

The oldest climber to successfully climb Everest at the age of 76 is Bahadur Sherchan. He made his ascent on May 25, 2008.

In 2006, the topic of climbing Everest was the subject of heated debate in connection with the case when a climber passed by the dying climber David Sharp (David Sharp), without giving him the help he really needed at that moment. This incident caused a great resonance in the society, which widely discussed the ethics of mountaineering.

Many daredevils were destined to die on the way to conquer the most high peak peace. Many factors could have contributed to this, including lack of oxygen, extreme weather, exhaustion, frostbite, etc. In 1996 alone, at least 15 people died while trying to climb to the top of Mount Everest.

But, despite the consequences, only a few of those willing are able to refrain from trying their hand at such a dangerous business. In this article, we have only briefly touched on the enormous difficulties that confront people who have risked going beyond the limits of the possible.

It has been 60 years since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the heroes who first summited Everest, but the desire to climb the mountain grows stronger over the years. Often, attempts to conquer the summit ended tragically, as evidenced by the news reports. Sometimes people come to the mountains to relax.
But today we will look at 10 little known facts about Everest.
10 Mountain Dwellers

Even high in the mountains you can meet spiders. Himalayan jumping spiders (euophrys omnisuperstes) (standing above everything) hide in the crevices of the mountains and are the highest inhabitants of the mountains. Some noticed them at an altitude of 6700 m.
Spiders feed on insects carried by the wind. In addition to spiders, some species of birds live on the summit. During a British expedition in 1924, grasshoppers were found and are now in the British Museum.
9. Two daredevils who conquered Everest 21 times

Apa Sherpa and Pkhurba Tashi, representatives of the Sherpas, hold a joint record for the number of ascents. They conquered the summit 21 times. In 2007, Phurba reached the very top three times, and Apa conquered the summit between 1990 and 2011. Apa talked about the changes on Everest caused by global warming. He expressed concern about the melting ice and snow, which made climbing more and more difficult. With his ascents, Apa tried to draw public attention to the changing climate.
8. HIGH-ALtitude Brawl

In 2013, Ueli Stack, Jonathan Griffith and Simon Moreau got into a serious fight with the Sherpas, who asked for the expedition to be suspended. The Sherpas blamed the climbers for causing the snowfall. When the accusations were ignored, the brawl took a serious turn. The Sherpas began to beat the men with stones, and one was even threatened with murder. Things could have ended worse if the American Melissa Arno hadn't warned them to return to the camp before everyone was beaten to death. After this incident, a Nepalese army officer witnessed the signing of a peace agreement that allowed the dispute to be settled.
7. EARLY HISTORY

The Himalayas began to form 60 million years ago, but the rocks of Everest are much older. The upper layers of Everest contain particles of shells and sea creatures that were once part of the ocean. For the first time such fossils were discovered in 1924 by Noel Odell, who was able to prove that formerly mountain was below sea level.
6. HEIGHT OF EVEREST

The exact height of the famous mountain depends on your location. The Chinese claim that the height is 8844 meters, but the inhabitants of Nepal call another figure - 8848 meters.
The inaccuracies stemmed from the fact that, according to China, the height of the mountain should be measured without taking into account the snow cap at the very top. However, regardless of this, the world community has agreed to include snow in determining the height of mountains around the world.
5. THE MOUNTAIN GROWS

In 1994, studies showed that Everest is growing by 4 millimeters every year. The continental plates are still moving, causing mountains to grow.
In 1999, members of the US Millennium Expedition placed a satellite device near the summit to measure altitude. The exact height of Everest is 8850 meters. The mountain continues to grow, despite tectonic activity, which can affect measurements by decreasing.
4. DIFFERENT NAMES

For centuries, the indigenous people of Tibet have called the mountain Chomolungma, which means "Mother Goddess of all mountains." It is known to the Nepalese as "Sagarmatha". Today, the mountain is part of national park Sagarmatha in Nepal. The mountain got its name in honor of George Everest, a geographer who conducted his research in India.
3. TRAFFIC ON THE MOUNTAIN

Despite the fact that the "walk" on Everest is not cheap, yet many people are trying to conquer its summit. In 2011, Ralph Dujmovitz photographed hundreds of thousands of people lined up in a long line to climb the mountain.
To make the ascent less tiring, specialists from Nepal have made railings, and at the moment the possibility of constructing stairs is being discussed.
2. MOUNTAINS OF GARBAGE

Climbers leave behind a lot of garbage. It is estimated that there are approximately 50 tons of garbage on the mountain, and this figure continues to grow. The Eco-Everest expedition, which managed to collect 13 tons of garbage, is struggling with this problem. A climber may not be returned a deposit of $4,000 if he does not bring 8 kilos of garbage after descending the mountain.
1. THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN

Despite the fact that Everest seems to be considered the highest mountain, Hawaiian volcano Mauna Key disputes this championship - if you measure the volcano from the foot to the bottom of the ocean, then its height (10200 meters) will exceed Everest.

A man lives in Nepal who conquered the “top of the world” 21 times, and amazing spiders live on the very top, which was once the seabed. The mountain is still growing, has not even two, but four official names and is not, by the way, the highest in the world.

Himalayan spiders

Even high in the mountains, where there is barely enough oxygen to breathe, we cannot hide from the spiders. Euophrys omnisuperstes, better known as the Himalayan jumping spider, hides in nooks and crannies and the crevices of Everest, making it one of the highest living creatures on earth. Climbers found them at an altitude of 6700 meters. These spiders are able to feed on almost everything that can fly so high. With the exception of some species of birds, they are the only living creatures that permanently live at such an altitude. True, in 1924, during a British expedition to Everest, a previously unknown species of grasshoppers was found here - now they are on display in the British Museum of Natural History.

Everest climb record - 21 times

Appa Tenzing, also known as Appa Sherpa, was able to conquer the top of the world 21 times. Its first ascent took place in May 1990, after three earlier unsuccessful attempts. Apparently, having learned all the secrets of climbing, Appa continued to conquer Everest every year - from 1990 to 2011. He repeatedly stressed that the effects of global warming are clearly visible in the mountains. Appa is concerned about the melting of snow and ice, which makes climbing the mountain more difficult, as well as the safety of his people, after his home village was flooded by a melted glacier. Appa made his last four ascents of Everest as part of ecological expeditions.

The "highest" fight

The conquest of Everest is not as romantic as it might seem at first glance. Thanks to the significant development of the tourism industry, there has been a significant increase in the number of ascents to the highest mountain in the world. So, in 1983, only 8 people reached the top, and in 2012, 234 people got there in just one day. It is not surprising that traffic jams and even fights happen when conquering Everest. So, in 2013, climbers Ueli Stack, Simon Moreau and Jonathan Griffith got into a fight with Sherpas after the latter asked them to stop climbing. The Sherpas accused the climbers of causing the avalanche. A dispute began, which, on emotions, turned into a fierce fight using stones. It came to death threats, but the climbers returned to base camp, where the rest of the "colleagues" took their side. Even the Nepalese army had to intervene in the incident - then both sides of the conflict signed an agreement on its peaceful settlement.

450 million years of history

Although Himalayan mountains formed about 60 million years ago, their history begins much earlier. 450 million years ago, limestone and rocks were part of the sedimentary layers that were located below sea level. Over time, the rocks at the bottom of the ocean came together and began to move upward at 11 centimeters per year. Now, fossils of sea creatures can be found at the top of Everest. They were first discovered in 1924 by guide Noel Odell - thus it was proved that the top of Everest was once under water. The first rock samples from the world's summit were brought back by Swiss climbers in 1956 and by a team from America in 1963.

Height controversy

What is the exact height of Everest? It depends on which country you are on. China has stated that it is equal to 8844 meters, while Nepal claims that it is 8848 meters. This dispute happened because China believes that the height should only be equal to the height rock, excluding meters of frozen snow from the total. Like it or not, it remains a double-edged sword, but the international community still includes snow in the height of the mountain. China and Nepal came to an agreement in 2010, finalizing an official height of 8,848 meters.

Everest is still growing

According to the latest measurements, both China and Nepal can be wrong about the height. In 1994, a research team found that Everest continues to grow at 4 millimeters a year. The Indian subcontinent was originally an independent landmass that collided with Asia to form the Himalayas. But the continental plates are still moving and the height of the mountains is rising. American researchers in 1999 installed special equipment that allows you to monitor its change. Their more accurate measurements could result in the mountain's official height being changed to 8,850 meters. Meanwhile, other tectonic activity is causing Everest to shrink, but the combined results still keep it growing.

Everest has several names

Most of us know the mountain under the names of Everest and Chomolungma. last name came from Tibet, which means "Divine (qomo) mother (ma) of life (lung)". But these are not the only names by which the mountain is known. So, in Nepal it is called Sagarmatha (“Forehead in the sky”), and it itself is part of the Nepalese Sagarmatha National Park. The mountain owes the name Everest to the British surveyor Andrew Waugh, who was unable to find a single generally accepted name even after carefully studying all the maps of the surrounding area and communicating with its inhabitants. Andrew decided to name the mountain after the geographer who worked in India, George Everest, the leader of the British team that first explored the Himalayas. Everest himself refused such an honor, but nevertheless, British representatives in 1865 changed the name of the mountain. Previously, it was simply called the 15th peak.

Traffic jams from people

Climbing Everest will cost you several thousand dollars, but the number of people who want to conquer the summit is steadily growing. In 2012, German climber Ralf Dujmovitz took a photograph of hundreds of people queuing up to climb. By the way, due to bad weather and in a long line Ralph had to turn back at one of the passes called the South Col. And on May 19, 2012, those wishing to climb to the top of the mountain were forced to stand in line for about two hours - 234 people climbed Everest in one day. However, on the same day, four people died during the ascent, which caused some concerns about the safety of conquering the summit, and railings were installed by specialists from Nepal to deal with traffic jams. Now the issue of mounting the stairs at the top is being discussed.

The highest landfill in the world

There are many photographs showing the beauty of Everest from every possible angle, but there are also back side medals: photos of the huge amount of garbage left behind by climbers. According to some estimates, there are about 50 tons of waste of various origins on Everest, and their number is growing in proportion to the number of visits. On the slopes of the mountain you can see used oxygen cylinders, climbing equipment and other waste of life of climbers. In addition, the mountain is "decorated" by the bodies of dead climbers - because of the difficulties in transporting them, the victims of an unfortunate set of circumstances remain lying on the slopes. Some of them serve as a guide for other climbers. So, Tsevang Palzhora, who died in 1996, "marks" a height of 8500 meters and even received the nickname "Green Shoes" - for his conspicuous bright green shoes. Since 2008, a special ecological expedition (Eco Everest Expidition) has been climbing the mountain every year, the purpose of which is to combat the pollution of Everest. On this moment thanks to this expedition, more than 13 tons of waste were collected. In 2014, the government of Nepal introduced a new rule that every climber must bring at least 8 kilograms of waste with him when descending the mountain - otherwise the $4,000 deposit will be lost. There is also the Everest 8848 creative project: its artists turned 8 tons of waste into 75 works of art, even using the remains of broken tents and beer cans. In this way they are trying to draw attention to the pollution of the mountain.

Everest is not the highest mountain on Earth

Despite the fixed title, in fact Everest is not the highest mountain in the world. Mauna Kea, an inactive volcano in Hawaii, rises "only" 4205 meters above sea level, but another 6000 meters of its base are hidden under water. When measured from the ocean floor, its height is 10,203 meters, which is almost one and a half kilometers more than Everest.

Everest is also not the most "convex" point on the planet. Dormant volcano Chimborazo in Ecuador reaches an altitude of 6267 meters above sea level, but is only one degree from the equator. Since our planet is slightly thickened in the center, the sea level in Ecuador is located further from the center of the Earth than in Nepal, and it turns out that Chimborazo is the most high point Earth.

On our planet, there are many mysteries and interesting things that happen every day.

In this article we want to introduce you to the most interesting and incredible facts about Mount Everest, which every year attracts the interest of hundreds of curious tourists.

Let's start with the fact that the height of the mountain is 8,848 meters above sea level, and every year it increases by about 4 millimeters, due to the movement of plates. The mountain has three names, the most common of which is Everest.

The mountain received its name in 1865, in honor of the scientist Sir George Everest, who was the first to determine the location and height of the mountain. The inhabitants of Tibet call the mountain - Chomolungma, which means the goddess of the mother of the universe, and the inhabitants of Nepal call the mountain - Sagarmatha, which means the goddess of the sky. Previously, the mountain was called Peak 15.

Chomolungma is located at the junction of two countries - Nepal and Tibet, Everest coordinates - 27 ° 59′17 ″ s. sh. 86°55′31″ E d.

Residents of Nepal and Tibet consider the mountain sacred and are not happy with the constant influx of tourists, but at the same time they earn money by accompanying those who wish to the top.

The summit of Everest is the highest point on the planet, it is also called the roof of the world. Climbing will cost an average of $ 50,000. You can read about this in our article.

Who was the first to conquer Everest. According to official figures, these were two people - Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay from Nepal, this happened on May 29, 1953. Since then, the race to climb Everest has begun.

On May 16, 1975, the first Japanese woman, Junko Tabei, climbed the summit of Everest. On May 8, 1978, the Italian Reinhold Messener and the Australian Peter Haebeler were the first to climb without oxygen tanks. After that, both of them noted that already at an altitude of 7,500 meters, your body ceases to belong to you.

Sherpa Appa was recognized as the first person to conquer Everest the most - 21 times, all of his ascents were without oxygen tanks.

In 2001, the first blind person, named Eric Weihenmeier, climbed to the top of Everest, moreover, before that, he had conquered all the highest points on all continents.

That's what the impossible means - it's possible.

The youngest conqueror of Chomolungma is 13-year-old Jordan Romero, who reached the summit on May 22, 2010.

And the oldest is 80-year-old Yuichiro Miura, who conquered the highest point on the planet on May 23, 2013.

In May 2014, two people set new records, 13-year-old Purna Malavat became the smallest woman to summit Everest, and 72-year-old Bill Burke became the oldest climber to reach the summit and with south side and from the north side.

On the roof of the world in 2004, the first wedding took place, which was played by the inhabitants of Nepal - Moni Mule Pati and Pem Georgi Sherpa. And even Twitter got to the top of the world, in 2011 Kenton Cool said that he was on top 9 times and this is the first tweet from the highest point on earth.

There are several years in history that are somehow connected with Everest and will remain in memory forever. So, 1974 was the last year, during which no one was able to conquer Everest. For that, in 1975 the most large group, the number of 410 Chinese conquered the summit of Everest. On May 10, 1993, the most a large number of conquering the top of the world, namely 40.

Unfortunately, not everything is so favorable when conquering the top of Chomolungma. Today, statistics show that when trying to climb Everest, 11% of climbers die, in particular due to avalanches, lack of air and harsh weather conditions.

More than 120 dead remained forever on the slopes of Everest, due to the fact that transportation is impossible. Now they serve as a kind of guide for those who climb, and remind of caution and that the mountains are first and foremost a test.

The temperature on the slopes of Everest never rises above 0 degrees, and at some time it can drop to -60 degrees, which creates minimal conditions for survival.

From 1953 to the present day, more than 200 people have died while trying to conquer the summit of Everest. Despite this, every year about 500 people try to test their strength and endurance, going to the top of the world.

Here it is - the roof of the world, unpredictable, majestic and alluring. For some, it becomes a kind of trophy, and for some, a place of eternal life.

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Everest climb record - 21 times

He repeatedly stressed that the effects of global warming are clearly visible in the mountains. Appa is concerned about the melting of snow and ice, which makes climbing the mountain more difficult, as well as the safety of his people, after his home village was flooded by a melted glacier. Appa made his last four ascents of Everest as part of ecological expeditions.

The "highest" fight

So, in 2013, climbers Ueli Stack, Simon Moreau and Jonathan Griffith got into a fight with Sherpas after the latter asked them to stop climbing. The Sherpas accused the climbers of causing the avalanche. A dispute began, which, on emotions, turned into a fierce fight using stones.

It came to death threats, but the climbers returned to the base camp, where the rest of their “colleagues” took their side. Even the Nepalese army had to intervene in the incident - then both sides of the conflict signed an agreement on its peaceful settlement.

450 million years of history

Although the Himalayan mountains formed about 60 million years ago, their history begins much earlier. 450 million years ago, limestone and rocks were part of the sedimentary layers that were located below sea level. Over time, the rocks at the bottom of the ocean came together and began to move upward at 11 centimeters per year.

Now, fossils of sea creatures can be found at the top of Everest. They were first discovered in 1924 by guide Noel Odell - thus it was proved that the top of Everest was once under water. The first rock samples from the world's summit were brought back by Swiss climbers in 1956 and by a team from America in 1963.

Height controversy

What is the exact height of Everest? It depends on which country you are on. China has stated that it is equal to 8844 meters, while Nepal claims that it is 8848 meters.

This dispute is due to the fact that China believes that the height should be equal only to the height of the rock, excluding meters of frozen snow from the total. Like it or not, it remains a double-edged sword, but the international community still includes snow in the height of the mountain. China and Nepal came to an agreement in 2010, finalizing an official height of 8,848 meters.

Himalayan spiders

Climbers found them at an altitude of 6700 meters. These spiders are able to feed on almost everything that can fly so high. With the exception of some species of birds, they are the only living creatures that permanently live at such an altitude.

True, in 1924, during the British expedition to Everest, a previously unknown species of grasshoppers was found here - now they are on display in the British Museum of Natural History.

Everest is still growing

American researchers in 1999 installed special equipment that allows you to monitor its change. Their more accurate measurements could result in the mountain's official height being changed to 8,850 meters. Meanwhile, other tectonic activity is causing Everest to shrink, but the combined results still keep it growing.

Everest has several names

Most of us know the mountain under the names of Everest and Chomolungma. The last name comes from Tibet, which means "Divine (qomo) mother (ma) of life (lung)". But these are not the only names by which the mountain is known. So, in Nepal it is called Sagarmatha (“Forehead in the sky”), and it itself is part of the Nepalese Sagarmatha National Park.

The mountain owes the name Everest to the British surveyor Andrew Waugh, who was unable to find a single generally accepted name even after carefully studying all the maps of the surrounding area and communicating with its inhabitants. Andrew decided to name the mountain after the geographer who worked in India, George Everest, the leader of the British team that first explored the Himalayas.

Everest himself refused such an honor, but nevertheless, British representatives in 1865 changed the name of the mountain. Previously, it was simply called the 15th peak.

Traffic jams from people

By the way, due to bad weather and a long queue, Ralph had to turn back at one of the passes called the South Col. And on May 19, 2012, those wishing to climb to the top of the mountain were forced to stand in line for about two hours - 234 people climbed Everest in one day.

However, on the same day, four people died during the ascent, which caused some concerns about the safety of conquering the summit, and railings were installed by specialists from Nepal to deal with traffic jams. Now the issue of mounting the stairs at the top is being discussed.

The highest landfill in the world

There are many photographs showing the beauty of Everest from all possible angles, but there is also the flip side of the coin: photographs of the huge amount of garbage left behind by climbers.

According to some estimates, there are about 50 tons of waste of various origins on Everest, and their number is growing in proportion to the number of visits. On the slopes of the mountain you can see used oxygen tanks, climbing equipment and other waste products of climbers.

In addition, the mountain is "decorated" by the bodies of dead climbers - because of the difficulties in transporting them, the victims of an unfortunate set of circumstances remain lying on the slopes. Some of them serve as a guide for other climbers. So, Tsevang Palzhora, who died in 1996, "marks" a height of 8500 meters and even received the nickname "Green Shoes" - for his conspicuous bright green shoes.

Since 2008, a special ecological expedition (Eco Everest Expidition) has been climbing the mountain every year, the purpose of which is to combat the pollution of Everest. At the moment, thanks to this expedition, more than 13 tons of waste have been collected.

In 2014, the government of Nepal introduced a new rule that every climber must bring at least 8 kilograms of waste with them when descending the mountain - otherwise the $4,000 deposit will be lost.

There is also the Everest 8848 creative project: its artists turned 8 tons of waste into 75 works of art, even using the remains of broken tents and beer cans. In this way they are trying to draw attention to the pollution of the mountain.

Everest is not the highest mountain on Earth

Everest is also not the most "convex" point on the planet. The extinct volcano Chimborazo in Ecuador reaches a height of 6267 meters above sea level, but is located just one degree from the equator.

Since our planet is slightly thicker in the center, the sea level in Ecuador is located further from the center of the Earth than in Nepal, and it turns out that Chimborazo is the highest point on Earth in terms of stereometry.