The History Of Mount Everest Climbs

Everest made its presence known on earth over 60 million years ago. Named after a British surveyor-general of India, Sir George Everest in 1865, it is also known by many other names. In Nepal it is called Sagarmatha meaning goddess of the sky, while in Tibet it is called Chomolungma meaning mother goddess of the universe. And when it comes to climbs Mount Everest has quite a history!

Back in 1852 Mount Everest was identified as the world’s tallest mountain capturing the hearts of climbers all over the world whose imaginations ran wild with the quest of reaching the summit.

But climbs would not begin until 1921 when Tibet finally opened its borders to visitors from the outside. Since then many have made the trek successfully but many have also perished. So who are these people?

In June of 1924 Mallory and Irvine a British team attempted the summit. The men were last seen heading towards the top and then they were engulfed by the clouds. That was the last anyone seen of them. In 1999 Mallory’s body was found but there was not evidence on him such as a diary or camera that would validate whether they made it to the top of Everest or not.

The next 30 years would see 10 more expeditions although none were successful and 13 lives were lost. Then in May of 1953 Hillary a beekeeper and Norgay a Sherpa climber became the first to reach the top of the world. They become famous overnight and became a symbol of national pride for Tibet, India, and Nepal.

After Hillary and Tenzing’s climb there were other records broken such as the first solo climb, the first women to reach the top, and many others.

One very amazing record was the record of May 1978 by Messner and Habeler who were able to achieve the climb to the top without using supplemental oxygen. This is truly an amazing feat!

Since then more than 60 men and women have made it to the top without the use of supplemental oxygen. In fact it has now become the climb of the elite.

The dangers on Everest are many and include crevasses, avalanches, sudden storms, winds that reach up to 125 mph, oxygen deprivation, and temperatures that reach 40 degrees Fahrenheit below zero.

Even with the use of bottled oxygen climbers still experience impaired judgment, extreme fatigue, nausea, headache, double vision, and even hallucinations. Climbs are generally done from May to October to avoid the summer monsoons and winter season. Months are spent preparing and acclimatizing for the climb.

The mountain claims many a climbers’ life. Those who die on the mountain are left on the mountain. Eventually their bodies will perish. It is simply impossible to drag bodies off the mountain.

More than 2000 people from more than 20 countries have climbed Mount Everest. More than 185 have lost their life on the mountain. That means your odds of coming home safely are about 1 in 8.

In recent years media has had much better access to the mountain including live internet reports that are sent using solar energy. As well Imax has done a documentary of a climb and there are several books on the market.

In fact these days there are guided tours that will take you up the mountain. If you are in decent shape and have a spare $70,000 kicking around you too can take a planned trip up the mountain.

Mount Everest is no longer just open to the climbing gods. These day ordinary people who would not normally partake in such adventures can experience a climbing adventure of a lifetime.

Aura Mirchandani is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory.