Facts about Mount Everest
Mount Everest the tallest mountain on Earth was formed about 60 million years ago. Mt. Everest is part of Hamalaya range in High Asia. It is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Mt. Everest rises a few milimeters each year due to geological forces. It is 8,850meters (29,035 feet) high. In Nepal Mt. Everest is called Sagarmatha (meaning goddess of the sky). In Tibet Mt. Everest is known as Chomolungma (meaning mother goddess of the universe). Mount Everest is named after Sir George Everest the British surveyor-general of India in 1965. Sir George Everest was the first person to record the height and location of Mt. Everest. It was once known as peak 15. First ascent to Mount Everest was made by sir Edmund Hillary of Newzealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal on may 29,1953, via the South Col Route. First solo ascent was made by Reinhold Messner on August 20, 1980. Stacey Allison of Portland became the first woman to make an ascent on September 29, 1988. Most expeditions use oxygen masks and tanks [18] above 26,246 feet (8,000 m); this region is known as the death zone. Everest can be climbed without supplementary oxygen but this increases the risk to the climber. Humans do not think clearly with low oxygen, and the combination of severe weather, low temperatures, and steep slopes often require quick, accurate decisions. Mountain climbers are a significant source of tourist revenue for Nepal; they range from experienced mountaineers to relative novices who count on their paid guides to get them to the top. The Nepalese government also requires a permit from all prospective climbers; this carries a heavy fee, often more than $25,000 per person. Double-amputee climber Mark Inglis revealed in an interview with the press on May 23, 2006, that his climbing party, and many others, had passed a distressed climber, David Sharp, on May 15, sheltering under a rock overhang 450 meters below the summit, without attempting a rescue. The revelation sparked wide debate on climbing ethics, especially as applied to Everest. The climbers who left him said that the rescue efforts would be useless and only cause more deaths because of how many people it would have taken to pull him off. Much of this controversy was captured by the Discovery Channel while filming the television program Everest: Beyond the Limit. |
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