The dizzying height of Everest. Mount Chomolungma (Everest) - description, photos, facts
Address: China
First ascent: May 29, 1953
Height: 8848 m
Coordinates: 27°59"08.8"N 86°55"32.0"E
Nepal is known to the whole world as the birthplace of the Buddha and as a climbing Mecca, on the territory of which 8 of the 14 highest peaks of the world (“eight-thousanders”) are fully or partially located.
View of Everest from the east
But the geographer himself was against this and called the mountain exclusively by the Tibetan name - Chomolungma. Until the mountain European name she was also called Chomo-Kankar (Tib. "Queen of snow whiteness"). The nature of Everest is beautiful and harsh. In the world of rocks, snows and eternal ice frosts down to minus 60 ° C prevail, and strong winds blow at the top of the mountain at a speed of up to 200 km / h. Ice falls and snow avalanches are a frequent occurrence here. At an altitude of 7925 meters, the so-called "death zone" begins, where only 30% of the amount of oxygen that is present at sea level is concentrated.
Everest - the mountain of death, or to success over corpses
The conquest of Everest is comparable only to the flight to the moon. It only takes a few minutes to stand on top of the mountain to go down in history. In order to look at the world from the height of the Chomolungma, people are ready to sacrifice their health and risk their lives.
Everest view
Storming Everest, the climber knows that he has a chance of not returning. Death can be caused by a lack of oxygen, heart failure, frostbite, and trauma. Fatal accidents also lead to death (the valve of an oxygen cylinder has frozen, etc.), and the conceited indifference of neighbors. So, in 1996, a group of Japanese rock climbers, while climbing a mountain, met with three Indian colleagues who were in a semi-conscious state. The Japanese passed by, the Indians died. As one of the participants of the Russian Himalayan expedition Alexander Abramov said: “At an altitude of more than 8000 meters, one cannot afford the luxury of morality. Above 8000 meters you are completely occupied with yourself, and in such extreme conditions you do not have extra strength to help a friend. The tragedy that happened on Everest in May 2006 shocked the whole world: 42 climbers passed by the slowly freezing Englishman David Sharpe, but no one helped him.
One of them was the television people of the Discovery channel, who tried to interview the dying man and, having photographed him, left him alone.
Everest climbing records
In total, approximately 4,000 people have conquered Everest to date. The glory of the first ascent belongs to the participants of the English expedition - on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest for the first time in the history of mankind. Here, at the high-altitude pole of the planet, the climbers spent only 15 minutes. After shaking hands, they buried chocolates in the snow as an offering to the gods and hoisted the flags of Great Britain, Nepal and India, and on top of them - the UN flag. The news of the successful expedition reached Elizabeth II on the day of her coronation, in connection with which there was a legend that the conquest of Everest was being prepared as a gift to the Queen of England.
View of Everest from the west
In 1978, a new record was recorded - the Italian R. Messner and the German P. Habeler reached the summit without the use of oxygen cylinders.
"Top of the World" beckons climbers of all ages: the oldest person to climb was 76-year-old Nepalese Min Bahadur Sherkhan, and the youngest was 13-year-old American Jordan Romero. But Mark Inglis deserves special admiration: in 2006, for the first time in history, a man with two amputated legs was able to reach the top of Everest! Inglis' legs were taken away (both below the knee) after severe frostbite received during the ascent of Cook's Peak (3754 m) - the most high peak New Zealand.
Climbing Everest, Inglis used prostheses. According to him, he even had advantages over other climbers: “I definitely won’t get frostbite on my toes.”
View of the snowy Everest
And here is another example of the greatest fortitude: in 2001, the blind American Eric Weihenmeier climbed to the top of Everest, who by that time had already conquered the most high mountains on all 7 continents. In an interview with journalists, Weihenmeier said: "By climbing the 7 highest peaks of 7 continents, I wanted to show people that unattainable goals are actually achievable." In addition, in order to realize his dream, a blind disabled person had to earn a lot of money, since the cost of a commercial ascent is up to 65 thousand US dollars, and only one license issued by the Nepalese authorities and giving the right to climb Everest costs 10 thousand dollars. And taking into account the cost of equipment, provisions, accommodation in the camp and the services of a guide, everyone who wants to conquer Everest spends at least 25 thousand dollars.
View of the summit of Everest
A typical expedition reaches the top of Chomolungma in 2 months: it takes two weeks to climb to the base camp at an altitude of 5360 meters, a month takes acclimatization, and only after a person adapts to difficult mountain conditions, you can start climbing. But climbing a mountain with a height of 8848 meters is not yet the finish line, followed by an equally difficult descent.
We all know from school that the most high point our planet - Mount Everest, or Chomolungma, and above it - only clouds, and even then not all =) I propose to remember what this mountain looks like and admire the exceptional beauty of the landscapes of the mountain ranges surrounding it!
The highest mountain on our planet rises among the eternal snows of the Himalayas to a height of 8848 meters. Sometimes it is even called the high-altitude pole of the earth) is located on the border of Nepal and China, but the peak itself lies on the territory of China. Everest Peak crowns the Main Himalayan Range
Translated from Tibetan, “Chomolungma” means “Divine (jamma) Mother (ma) of Life (lung - wind or life force)”, the mountain is named after the Bon goddess Sherab Chzhamma. The Nepalese name of Chomolungma - "Sagarmatha" - means "Mother of the Gods". The English name "Everest" was proposed in 1856 by Andrew Waugh, the successor of Sir George Everest, head of the Surveyor Survey of British India. The reason for this was the publication of the results of measurements of the height of "Peak XV", according to which the mountain was recognized as the highest mountain in the region and, probably, in the whole world.
Every year everything remains on Earth fewer seats, not spoiled by civilization, and the Everest region is one of such pleasant exceptions) The route to Everest is one of the most beautiful and exciting not only in Nepal, but throughout the world. A feature of this region is that from the Nepalese side, Everest is obscured by two high mountains - Nuptse (7879 m) and Lhotse (8516 m), so in order to see the highest peak in the world well enough, you need to go a relatively long distance and climb Mount Kala Pattar (5545 m) or Gokyo Ri (5483 m), from the top of which opens good view to the top of the world
Everest has the shape of a pyramid, only its southern slope is steeper. Glaciers flow from the massif in all directions, ending at a height of about 5 thousand meters. Snow and ice are not retained on the southern slope and ribs of the pyramid, as a result of which they are exposed. Mount Everest is the main attraction of Nepal, for which hundreds of thousands of tourists come here.
For several decades, people have been trying to conquer Everest - and only on May 29, 1953, members of the British Himalayan expedition, Edmund Hillary and Norgay Tenzing, managed to climb the highest point on Earth. Since then, Everest has been climbed repeatedly, but not every expedition has been successful - there have been casualties, there have been retreats. This is due to oxygen starvation, very low air temperature and heavy frosty wind, literally knocking down already tired and frostbitten extreme sportsmen - after all, in order to get to the top, you need to make several halts, and many, especially unprepared people, even after the first halt they refuse to go further. But of course, the most offensive thing is to retreat a couple of hundred meters to the very top.
It should be noted that the first ascent of Soviet climbers to the highest peak of the Earth took place in May 1982. In total, from May 4 to May 9, 11 Soviet athletes climbed to the top of the world, and one of them - without any oxygen mask, and two more - at night (this was the first night ascent to). Soviet climbers went to the top along a very difficult route that no one had previously climbed along the southwestern wall.
View of the peak of Everest from the plane
Chomolungma invariably attracts thousands of mountain lovers, climbers and ordinary travelers seeking to walk along the most beautiful routes Solo Khumbu Valley and National Park Sagarmatha
For 50 years, more than 2,500 climbers around the world have visited Everest. More than 200 people died from lack of oxygen during ascents and descents, in avalanches, from frostbite and heart failure. Unfortunately, even the most expensive and modern equipment cannot guarantee complete security, and, of course, cannot rule out sudden snow storms sweeping away everything in its path...
He knows many tragedies, but he keeps his secrets tightly ...
For the brave, hardy and fearless created a lot extreme species sports, but each of the daredevils dreams of something special. Yes, about the top of all peaks - Everest. How proud they are of having done it!
Location
Everest coordinates: 27°59′17″ s. sh. 86°55′31″ E e. It is the border of two countries: Nepal and China. The highest point is in the domain of the latter. Everest is part of the Tibetan mountain system. 8848 meters - the official height of Everest in 2012.
natural features
In terms of height, Mount Everest grows by 5 millimeters year after year. It is also worth noting the temperature that awaits travelers: at night it is 60 degrees, of course, below zero. Since atmospheric pressure becomes lower by 1 millimeter of mercury with every 10 meters, it turns from normal for the human body to not very favorable: 113 millimeters of mercury.
The top of Everest is blown by the wind. Its speed is 200 km/h. Taking into account the coordinates of Everest, you can understand in what area the mountain is located, what kind of climate it is. Thermal belts change with altitudinal zonality. So, having risen a kilometer, the climber will feel that the air has become colder by about 6 degrees.
History of conquest
The proud peak of Everest was first conquered by man in 1953. Made by Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay. They managed to achieve what many people had not been able to do before. With the help of additional oxygen supplies and a more or less known route that travelers from Switzerland had previously laid, they reached the peak.
In 1982 he succeeded and Soviet Union. Unlike their predecessors, they did not follow the knurled path, but found new way. And earlier everyone thought that it was impossible to pass on that slope. Mount Everest was conquered by eleven Soviet climbers, and one of them lasted the whole way without an oxygen mask, and two daredevils climbed at night, which was the first time.
Conquest in our time
The most unusual summit climber was registered in 2001. This is a traveler from America named Eric Weihenmayer. He distinguished himself by the fact that he climbed Mount Everest, being blind. By his example, Eric showed that the main thing is to go to the goal and believe in yourself.
And in 2005, a helicopter with the inscription "Eurocopter" descended on Everest, which became the first invention of the company to visit the slopes of this mountain.
2008 was remembered by Everest for the fact that it was conquered again. This was done by a man who turned 76 years old! Visitors older than him, Mount Everest has not yet seen.
Two years later, everything happened quite the opposite: now Everest was conquered by a young man of thirteen, who became the youngest climber whose foot touched the slopes of the greatest mountain.
tragic cases
For more than 60 years, climbers from different countries try themselves in something more serious than just climbing mountains. Everest trains willpower, gives a desire to live, look for something new, look at the world differently. Those who reach the top really feel like conquerors of the whole world. But there are those who did not come out victorious in the struggle of man with nature, which does not play by the rules and does not spare those who disturbed its peace.
About 200 people died on the slopes of Everest. For those who like to philosophize, there is a task. Imagine that you are climbing a mountain, walking towards your goal. And position yourself as a strong, purposeful person. Here your friend asks for help, if you do nothing, he will die. The task is complicated by the fact that if you take a step forward, then this will entail troubles that will concern you. That is, your own chances of survival tend to zero.
This choice is faced by many climbers on Everest. What do they do? It is enough to look at the corpses on the slopes of the mountain to understand that people go to their goal, no matter what.
Rules
Mount Everest is simply hugely popular, and the government of Nepal not only watches ecological situation, but does not deny himself the opportunity to earn. As for the ascent itself, you will have to be generous, especially if you want to enjoy your loneliness surrounded by cold slopes. But with a group of like-minded people it will be both more fun and cheaper!
By the way, mobiles on the mountain are unacceptable, like other wireless means of communication. If you yourself want to earn extra money, for example, by selling an oxygen tank or doing some other business, then you risk not getting permission to climb Everest. Fans of excessive patriotism and chants with posters may also not be lucky enough to go camping.
Mount Everest should not suffer from your actions, therefore, according to the rules, of course, you cannot litter, all garbage must return with you to the foot of the mountain. Leaving notes on the mountain is also not allowed. And if you suddenly want to take a couple of pebbles with you as a memory of the conquest of Everest, then you will not be allowed to do this.
So, are you willing to risk, perhaps even your life? The conquest of Everest, of course, is not for everyone, only for the most courageous and fearless climbers. A lot of difficulties await you, which will be fixed in your memory forever, you will experience the most incredible sensations and emotions that you have never experienced. Is it worth it? You decide. But if you win the battle with the mightiest mountain in the whole world, you will not return home the same. Perhaps the conquest of Everest will be the most vivid memory, one of them - for sure.
No difficulties stop those who want to test their strength, climb where not everyone can climb, see with their own eyes what not everyone can see - incredible and indescribable beauty natural world. And this is despite the fact that the rise will be at the very real mountain Death, because Mount Everest attracts tourists.
When everyone found out where Everest, the highest mountain in the world, was located, they immediately began to conquer its peaks. Everyone who storms Everest knows that he can stay here forever. He can die due to lack of oxygen, heart failure, an injury incompatible with life, or simply freeze to death. At the same time, even fatal accidents, for example, an unexpectedly frozen valve of an oxygen cylinder or a suddenly torn, seemingly strong cable, may well lead to death. Death has happened on Everest, and this is evidenced by a kind of cemetery on Everest, where the corpses of the dead are located.
Climbing to the top is so difficult that, having reached a height of 8 thousand meters, each member of the expedition becomes so busy with himself that he is far from always able to find strength in himself and, if necessary, help a friend. He will think about the moral side of this issue later, if he goes down. According to statistics, for every ten successful ascents of Everest's Chomolungma, there is one death.
What does the highest point in the world look like?
Tourists often wonder what geographical coordinates Mount Everest, and who was the first conqueror of Everest. The highest (as most geologists say) mountain of the world is located on the territory of two countries at once. The top located with south side, has a height of about 8760 meters and is located between Nepal and the Tibetan autonomous region China. The highest point on the planet is north side, at a distance of 8848 m from sea level, is wholly owned by China.
In shape, Everest is somewhat similar to a trihedral pyramid. All three of its slopes (southwestern, southern and eastern) are extremely steep, and two of them are completely covered with glaciers. As for the southern slope, it is so steep that snow and ice are simply not able to stay on it, which is why it is almost always exposed.
The slopes are connected by almost straight ridges, stretching to the west, southeast and south.
As for the summit of Everest, it is almost entirely composed of sedimentary deposits, mainly limestone and sandstone, which used to cover the ocean floor of the ancient Tethys Ocean, even before the appearance of a giant hill on this site. In addition, in our time, scientists often find fossils of marine animals and shells on the top of Everest, which confirm the theory that this area was located below sea level in former times.
How did Everest originate?
About 60 million years ago, the ancient continent, located in the southern hemisphere of the world, split into several lithospheric plates. After that, the Indian lithospheric plate began to move in a northerly direction and after some time came across the Eurasian plate, or rather, on southern edge Asia.
As a result of the collision, the bottom of the ancient Tethys ocean was deformed. As a result, part of the ocean went deep into the Earth, into the mantle, and part rose and formed a huge barrier that blocked the mainland from West to East (it originates in french alps and ends at South Vietnam). It is because of its appearance in the southeastern part of Asia that seasonal monsoons formed.
The highest mountains of this barrier are the Himalayas ("Abode of the Snows"). Their growth has not yet stopped, increasing annually from 3 to 10 mm. In the Himalayan range, scientists counted 75 mountains, the height of which exceeds 7 km above sea level. At the same time, the highest mountains are located in Nepal - the height of nine peaks here is more than 8 km. And Everest rises above all, or as it is also called - Chomolungma (Goddess - mother of the world) or Sagarmatha (Lord of the sky).
Concerning official name, then the proposal to name the mountain in honor of George Everest, who at one time led the British Geodetic Survey in India, was made by Andrew Waugh, his student, who managed to prove that the “Peak XV” named by Everest is the highest point on the planet.
Everest Height
After the scientists established the exact coordinates of Mount Everest, they began to determine its height. Despite the fact that English topographers established the exact height of the Chomolungma in the middle of the 19th century, the debate on this issue continued for quite a long time.
And all because the Chinese believed that Everest rises 8844 meters above sea level, while the Nepalese were convinced that Sagarmatha was four meters higher. This difference was explained by the fact that, according to the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, Chomolungma must be measured without taking into account the huge layer of snow lying on top, only by the height of the mountain itself. The countries came to full agreement only a few years ago, agreeing to set the height according to the Nepalese version.
Despite the fact that Chomolungma is recognized as the highest point above sea level, there is a mountain on our planet that exceeds it in size by more than one kilometer. It is an inactive volcano on Mauna Kea. Hawaiian Islands. Although it rises above the earth's surface by only 4205 m, overall height has (if you start measurements from the ocean floor) more than ten thousand meters.
Climate
The average air temperature at the top of Sagarmatha in January is -36°C and quite often drops to -60°C. The warmest month here is July, when temperatures rise to -19°C, but never exceed 0°C.
Almost all summer, Everest is under the influence of monsoon winds that arrive from the south and bring with them a huge amount of precipitation. Those wishing to climb Everest in the summer quite often fall into such strong snow storms that it often becomes impossible to continue climbing.
When the monsoons end, from November to March (except January), terrifying winds blow on Chomolungma, the speed of which often exceeds 285 km / h, which also makes it extremely difficult to climb the mountain.
People begin to actively conquer the summit in intermediate periods, when the weather behaves more or less decently, but even at this time it is not uncommon to suddenly find yourself in the middle of a sandstorm or wake up in the middle of a three-meter layer of snow that has fallen overnight. During this period, westerly winds prevail here. If their speed is about 80 km / h, the clouds around Everest are at the level of the top, if the air masses move less quickly, then the clouds rise above the mountain, if faster, they fall down.
Flora and fauna
Flora on Chomolungma is scarce, but there is. At the foot, tufts of grass and low shrubs grow (among them is the snowy rhododendron, the only bush that can exist at an altitude exceeding 5 thousand km at a temperature of -23°C). Here you can see conifers, lichens, moss, etc.
As for living creatures, the Himalayan jumping spiders feel good here, being almost the only creatures that can exist at an altitude of 6,700 m above sea level.
These arthropods feed on frozen insects, which bring strong air masses here, and springtails living here, small arthropods that feel good at an altitude of up to 6 thousand km. In addition to them, several species of new grasshoppers were discovered on the slopes of Everest. As for more high areas Chomolungma (over 6700 m), then only microscopic species can live here.
In addition to insects, birds can sometimes be seen near the top of the mountain - climbers often noticed mountain ducks and alpine jackdaws here (the latter feed on carrion and are able to stay at a height exceeding eight kilometers).
Chomolungma - the sacred mountain of the Sherpas
In the eastern part of Nepal, in the region of Everest, Sherpas live, descendants of Tibetans who emigrated more than five hundred years ago to the south of the Himalayan range. For them, Chomolungma is sacred, because, according to their beliefs, spirits, demons live on it, as well as Jomo Miyo Lang, who is one of the “five sisters of longevity”, providing food for the inhabitants of the five highest Himalayan peaks.
According to local legends, once the Indian preacher Padmasambhava (Born in a Lotus), the founder of Tibetan Buddhism (VIII century AD), organized a competition to see who would climb Mount Everest the fastest, challenging one of the lamas of the official Bon religion at that time. Since Padmasambhava was brought to the top by a sunbeam, his opponent lost, and as a token of his defeat, he left his drum there. After that, whenever an avalanche descends from the mountains, the locals beat drums, thus driving away evil spirits and demons.
Before climbing Everest, Sherpas each time hold a special ceremony (puja), commemorating those who died on Sagarmatha, putting their thoughts and soul in order, and asking the spirits of the mountain to have pity on them and not to destroy them.
In memory of everyone who died during the ascent, on the way to base camp, located between Dingbosh and Lobush, the Sherpas erected a pyramid. And near the foot of the mountain, in special place they store stupas, prayer wheels, flags and mantras intended for ceremonies.
Sherpa climbers
If not for the endurance of the Sherpas, their qualifications and experience, who knows how well they would have been studied Himalayan mountains and Everest along with them. It was the representatives of this nationality who provided invaluable assistance to the first explorers of the ridge as guides.
It is quite natural that a huge number of records for conquering Everest belongs to representatives of this particular nation. However, everyone is wondering who was the first to conquer Everest.
- The first conquerors of Everest were Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and climber from New Zealand Edmund Hillary, who ended up there back in 1953.
- Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi have summited twenty-one times.
- Pemba Dorje climbed the Sagarmatha in 8 hours and 10 minutes.
- Babu Chiri managed to stay on top of the mountain for about an hour - which is quite difficult, considering not only strong winds, but also very low air pressure, due to which only 1/3 of oxygen enters the lungs.
Everest Conquest
Since, according to local beliefs, gods live in the Himalayas, the governments of Tibet and Nepal did not allow foreigners to disturb the peace before. sacred mountains. Therefore, the Himalayas for a long time were inaccessible to a white man and rarely anyone managed to climb to the top of this mountain range.
Trisul was officially conquered by the first white man, the height of which exceeded 7 thousand meters, and it happened in 1907. Active attempts to climb higher mountains began in 1921, and the first conqueror of Everest was identified in 1953.
Since then, many tragic pages have appeared in the history of conquering Everest - according to statistics, during the ascent of this mountain, for every ten successful ascents, there is one fatality. The saddest thing is that the corpses of many of the dead remained unburied on the mountain due to the difficulties associated with their transportation.
According to rumors, some corpses serve as a kind of guide for climbers. For example, a Hindu, who died at the end of the last century at an altitude of about eight and a half thousand meters, is there to this day, marking this height. He is better known to climbers as "Green Shoes" (this is the color of the shoes worn by the deceased).
But information of this kind does not stop extreme sportsmen and lovers of setting records. For example, in 1980, the Italian Reinhold Messner climbed Chomolungma alone, without using oxygen tanks. In 2001, Marco Siffredi skied down Everest on a snowboard. But when he tried to do it the next year, he disappeared without a trace.
It was on Sagarmatha that the most massive death of people in the history of mountaineering was recorded. It happened in April 2014, when a huge avalanche buried sixteen people under it.
The most difficult part of the route
The most difficult climbers are given the last three hundred meters, not without reason nicknamed "the longest mile of the Earth." And the fault here is not only oxygen starvation and extreme weather but also the terrain. In order to successfully reach the goal, it is first necessary to overcome an extremely steep, snow-covered, smooth stone elephant. This section is so difficult and dangerous that climbers are not able to insure each other.
How much does it cost to climb Everest
The pleasure of climbing Chomolungma is not cheap - about 65 thousand dollars. United States (at the same time, for only one permit, which the Nepalese authorities must issue, it is necessary to pay 10 thousand dollars). The fee includes the services of guides who, before starting the ascent, train future climbers ( most of clients - rich people with almost no experience in conquering the peaks), provide necessary equipment and take care of safety.
For this, the future conquerors of Everest undergo appropriate training: it takes them about two weeks to climb from Kathmadu to the parking lot located at an altitude of 5364 m. Having reached the base, climbers, before moving on, acclimatize for a month and get used to the height. The ascent itself usually takes about two months and the most favorable period this is considered spring.
IN Lately The flow of tourists to Everest is increasing every year. For example:
- In 1983, only eight climbers conquered Sagarmatha;
- Seven years later their number increased to forty;
- In 2012, more than two hundred climbers climbed Chomolungma in just one day (at the same time, traffic jams and fights between tourists were recorded).
Global warming
Global warming definitely could not but affect the most high mountain world, as a result of which the glaciers of Chomolungma have decreased by 30%, which is an extremely huge problem, since these glaciers feed the most major rivers the area (including the Yangtze and the Huang He). Melting glaciers also expose rock, which makes climbing Sagarmatha every time more and more difficult.
Human influence on Everest
Definitely, if the first climbers saw the state of Everest now, they would not recognize it - the whole mountain is strewn with used oxygen tanks, torn tents, bags, and, as Time journalist Brian Walsh put it, "pyramids of human excrement." An illustrative example in this case is the data of environmentalists, who calculated that only in 2007, when about 40 thousand tourists visited the mountain, they left about 120 tons of garbage.
Tourists cause irreparable harm environment, actively destroying the trees growing around Chomolungma, using them later for heating. The issue of burial of the dead climbers is becoming more urgent (the resolution of this issue worries the local residents especially).
How to revive it
The government of Nepal and a considerable number of non-profit organizations have developed a number of activities aimed at the revival of Everest. Moreover, some of them even go to the detriment of the country's economic interests - first of all, the authorities are going to consider the issue of reducing the issuance of permits to climb the Chomolungma, which costs a lot of money.
In the meantime, this decision did not come into force, it was decided that every tourist who climbed Everest must take out at least eight kilograms of garbage from the mountain.
Some organizations began to work on how to stop the melting of glaciers - the ideologist of this project, American cinematographer David Breashears, had such an impact on comparing just two photographs - the one he took himself and the one that was once taken by George Mallory, one of the first climbers who conquered Chomolungma. The difference impressed him greatly. How successful these projects will be, the future will show.
The highest point in the world (Mount Chomolungma - aka Everest) is located in Asia, in mountain system Himalayas, on the border of China, Nepal and Tibet autonomous region(Chinese Autonomous Region). The mountain has always been and will be the peak, which hundreds of thousands of people strive to conquer. Any self-respecting climber and climber of his end point development will put precisely the conquest of the huge mountain on the ground.
Geographic location of Mount Everest
Chomolungma is a mountain that is part of mountain range Himalayas ( mountain range called Mahalangur Himal). Everest is located in Nepal, Tibet, China National Republic. Adjacent to such mountains as Lhotse, South and North Col, Changze.
The Himalaya mountain range is located on the territory of several Asian countries:
Attempts to calculate the height of the mountain
Since ancient times, people have tried to describe the height of this amazing mountain. The first person to suggest that the mountain has a height of more than 8 thousand kilometers and is the highest point in the world was the Indian mathematician and geometrician Radhanat Sikdar, who, based only on trigonometric calculations, proved the approximate height of this monumental natural structure. Being 240 kilometers from the place where Everest is located, he was able to prove the approximate height of the mountain above sea level, which allowed the British-Indian Geodetic Survey to assemble an expedition and measure the height of the mountain. In 1856, based on the data of the first official measurement of the height of the Chomolungma, a figure of 29,000 feet was announced, which is equivalent to 8,839 meters. However, such a figure would not have seemed authoritative enough, since its round value could indicate an inaccuracy in the measurement, so the figure of 29,002 feet was still published.
Further, already in 1950, an official expedition from China made more accurate measurements of the height and a value of 8,848 meters appeared, which is still recognized as correct. Of course, after this expedition there were other attempts to describe the height. So, in 1998, the Americans, using GPS, announced an altitude of 8,850 meters, which is 2 meters higher than the official height. Further, around the same time, the Italian geodetic scientist Ardito Desio, studying the peak with the help of modern radio equipment, proved the height equal to 8,872 meters, which is 11 meters higher than usual. Despite the scientific validity of such studies, the results were still not officially accepted and, according to 2014 data, the official height of the mountain is 8,848 meters above sea level.
The status of the highest point in the world at Mount Everest would be more piquant if the mountain was somewhere closer to Europe or America. In this case, the contrast would be visible and it would be possible to estimate the greatness of Chomolungma by eye in comparison with the nearby hills. But the mountain is located in the Himalayas mountain range where there are other points, and without looking closely it will be difficult to distinguish where Everest is and where Lhotse, whose height is 8,516 meters.
In order to better imagine the scale of Everest, mention should be made of the highest point Caucasus mountains– Elbrus and mountain Altai- Beluga. The height of the first mountain (Elbrus), located in the Caucasus, is 5,642 meters, the height of Belukha is 4,506 meters. Comparing the heights of these peaks with a couple of the highest points of the Himalayas and Tibet, one can imagine the greatness of the latter and the inaccessibility of their conquest.
If you have had climbing experience (and in many cities this type extreme recreation is gaining popularity), then you have an idea of what work it takes to conquer new and new peaks. But it’s one thing when you climb in a heated room, with mats on the floor and an instructor nearby, and quite another when, at a 4,000th altitude, fighting your fears, overcoming gusts of wind, throw a climber into an abyss, crawl up, literally biting into every centimeter of height . And only after overcoming this can we say with confidence that you are really a climber.
Other points, the height of which exceeds the mark of 8 thousand meters, include Chogori (8,611 meters), Kanchenjunga (8,586 meters), Manaslu (8,156 meters).
It is not surprising that the highest point in the world will attract fans of extreme recreation from all over the world. Hundreds of people arrive in Nepal with the aim of conquering the greatest peak world - the city of Everest. But only a few of them actually reach their goal. locals are distrustful of most visitors to their country, but still rejoice in the flow of tourists, as it allows them to earn money and increase their capital.
The history of climbing Everest
The first attempt to climb to a height of more than 8 thousand meters was made in 1950 by a group of French climbers. That year, they were able to conquer Mount Annapurna, but they did not manage to reach Everest. It was the first conquest of a height of more than 8 thousand meters. Before him, there were attempts to conquer such a height (these were studies of the Himalayas and Karakorum mountain ranges), but they only made it possible to reach 7,000 marks.
As for the Chomolungma itself, the history of attempts to conquer it has thousands of stories. The most striking of these are stories about the first ascent to a height of 8320 meters using oxygen by an American expedition; the story of Maurice Wilson, who died at an altitude of more than 7 thousand meters (he was notable for the fact that he had no special training and intended to reach the top only using supernatural powers).
And yet, the first ascent to the height of the mountain occurred in 1953, when a citizen of New Zealand, Edmund Hillary, together with a resident of Nepal, Tenzing Norgay, conquered the height, also using oxygen cylinders. More than 30 Sherpas took part in the work of that expedition, whose skill and experience made it possible to conquer this height.
The Soviet expedition was able to conquer Everest only in 1982, but did it in a special way. Firstly, the conquest took place on a slope that was previously considered impassable, and two ascents to the mountain occurred at night. Surprising was the fact that one of the climbers, Vladimir Balyberdin, climbed without an oxygen apparatus.
With this link you can see Everest in real time(works from 6-00 to 18-00 Moscow time)
