FACTS

• Location on the map: Latitude 27° 59' 16” N, Longitude 86° 55' 40” E. The Mount Everest is situated on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China.

• It has an altitude of 29,035 feet (8850 meters) making it the highest mountain on earth.

• Name:

- It was named after George Everest, British surveyor-general of India. Before Mount Everest was named and documented, it was known as Peak 15.

- It is known as Sagarmatha which means Fortress of the Sky in Nepal and Chomolongma or Qomolangma which means Mother of the Universe in Tibet.

• The first two people who were successful in reaching its summit are Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal. Their expedition has ended in May 29, 1953.

• The latest method used to measure the height of the mountain is through radar and global positioning satellite (GPS) technology. Professor Brad Washburn of the Boston Museum of Science announced on November 11, 1999 his latest measurement of the mountain using this technology.

• Some of the common dangers encountered by the mountaineers are avalanches, slippery ice, collapsing crevasses, sudden storms, strong winds, subzero temperatures, oxygen deprivation. Avalanche is the most common cause of fatal accident among these, having a ratio of 2:1 over fall. More on this

• The easiest and most popular route to the summit is the Southern Ridge.

• "Firsts" on Mount Everest

- Blind person to reach summit: Erik Weihenmayer of Denver, Colorado on May 25, 2001 at the age of 32

- Solo ascent: Reinhold Messner of Italy on August 20, 1980

- Ascent by a woman: Junko Tabei of Japan on May 16,1975

- Ascent without bottled oxygen: Reinhold Messner of Italy and Peter Habeler of Austria on May 8, 1978

- Handicapped to reach summit: Nawang Sherpa of Nepal on May 16, 2004

- Ski descent: Davo Karnicar of Slovenia on October 7, 2000

- Woman to reach the summit from both north and south sides is Cathy O'Dowd of South Africa on May 25,1996 by the south col route and on May 29, 1999 by the north ridge route

• Youngest person to reach summit: Temba Tsheri Sherpa of Nepal on May 22, 2001

• Oldest man to reach summit: Yuichiro Miura who reached the summit on May 22, 2003 at the age of 70.

• Fastest ascent via:

- North side: Hans Kammerlander of Italy on May 24, 1996. It took him 16 hours and 45 minutes from base camp to reach the summit via the standard North Col Ridge Route

- South side: Babu Chhiri Sherpa of Nepal on May 21, 2000. The duration of the ascent is 16 hours and 56 minutes.

• Fastest descent: Jean-Marc Boivin of France in 1988. Through paragliding, it took him 11 minutes to descend from top.

• The only climber to have climbed all four sides of Everest is Kushang Sherpa of Nepal.

• Largest team to have climbed the mountain is a 410-team from China in 1975.

• Longest stay on top is by Babu Chiri Sherpa of Nepal. His recorded stay in the summits is full 21 hours and a half.

• Largest number to have reached the top is 40 on May 10, 1993.

http://www.mnteverest.net/history.html

http://www.hillmanwonders.com/mount_everest/ mount_everest.htm

http://www.ikat.org/articles/seattletimes6_30_02.html

http://www.extremescience.com/HighestElevation.htm

http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php? &nid=12119

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1013124&CatID=9

http://www.cathyodowd.info/everest.html

MOUNTAINEER'S CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT

Adventure to the highest peak on earth is never a success without the equipment and clothing appropriate for the venture. A successful expedition needs a thorough knowledge of the things crucial for the journey. The following are the important gears and gadgets a climber of the Himalayas should remember in preparation for his climb of a lifetime.

Clothing

Clothes made of cotton are highly absorbent. This means that once it gets wet, it stays wet and becomes heavy which poses difficulty on the mountaineer’s trek. Moreover, for it to dry, the cloth may rob the body’s own heat which may result to heat loss. For these reasons, climbers of high altitude should avoid this type of material. Synthetic and wool are good materials to use since they are light and dry quickly. It also moves away moisture from the body which avoids occurrence of heat loss.

Clothing in cold weather requires the layering system. This includes various types of fabrics which gives room to trap air which in turn provides insulation to the body. The layers should be just right to avoid sweating since this may result to heat loss. The following are the three layers that compose the system.

o Skin layer – this is the layer that provides comfort to the skin. As much as possible, it should be kept dry at all times. Synthetic is the advisable material to use here.

o Insulative layer – this layer provides warmth to the body since trapping of air happens here. Sometimes, more than just one layer is needed.

o Element layer – this layer provides protection from wind and water. Jackets should be both windproof and waterproof.

Footwear

• Boots

Climbing the highest mountain on earth entails days of hiking. In order to bear such a journey, one should choose a footwear that can withstand the very low temperature and protect one’s feet from blisters and chafing. Keep in mind that the boots you buy should be sturdy but lightweight and comfortable in your feet. In choosing the size, it is advisable that the boots should be 1 to 2 sizes bigger than your actual shoe size to allow the feet to move freely especially since the mountain requires long walks. This also allows good circulation of blood. Good circulation of blood keeps one warm and prevents occurrence of frostbite (make this word a link to the “Dangers in the Himalayas” article). Finally, it is important that your footwear keeps your feet dry.

• Socks

This is essential footwear since it insulates the feet. In addition, blistering is one of the feet’s enemies when hiking. One of the causes of blisters is damp feet which become wrinkled and prone to blisters. Good materials for cold weather hiking are synthetic and wool. Both do not absorb water which allows moisture to pass away from foot. Wool is warmer than cotton and provides good cushioning. It is also advisable to wear two layers of socks. This provides good insulation and allows friction to occur between socks and not between boots and the feet. Use synthetic liner socks and put on wool socks over it.

• Crampon

Crampon is a spiky metal footgear which you attach to your boots to have a better foothold on ice. This is specially needed on slippery areas and inclined ice surfaces. Be sure to bring spares.

Head and Hand Gear

Head and hand gear are used for insulation and for reducing heat loss. A climber should synthetic/wool gloves, synthetic/wool mittens, wool/pile hat and brimmed hat.

Backpack

Various factors should be considered in choosing what backpack to use. Capacity, frame design and loading design are some to be considered. Capacity depends on the duration of journey. Choose a backpack that will fit your needs. It is advisable that you choose one that will be good for your back and just right to carry what you need to bring for the span of time that you will be hiking. Frame design pertains to either internal or external. Internals are good for climbers/mountaineers and skiers. It provides body-hugging design for better fit and comfort than external; however, it costs more. It also offers little room for ventilation since it is carried very close to the back. Externals, on the other hand, offer more space for storage than internals but offer less movement than internal. It is apt for beginning hikers and those that would carry heavy loads. Finally, there are three types of loading designs: top-loading, panel-loading and hyper-loader. Top-loading is characterized by a big hole on top. It is more moisture resistant and stronger than panel-loading. Alternatively, panel-loading allows easier access to things in the bag since it has a U-shaped zipper on its front. Hybrid-loader, as its name implies, has top-loader with vertical zippers.

First Aid Kit

Remember to bring personal first aid kit. This is very important for climbers since they are susceptive to many dangers in the mountain. Learn of the possible hazards that you may encounter in your journey and the tools you can bring to treat them. Finally, you should of course know how to use the tools in your kit.

Oxygen

Air becomes thinner as altitude increases. This is the reason for the need of supplementary oxygen. Climbers therefore bring oxygen tanks which can either be close (pure oxygen) or open (mixture of oxygen and outside air) system. Poisk is the most recommended oxygen system since it has been proven to be reliable and sturdy against harsh weather conditions while others were defective as claimed by prior climbers.

Climbing Gears

• Ice Axe w/ Leash

This is a generally used in ice mountaineering expeditions and is also used in winter walking and ski touring.

• Harness

Choose some thing that you will fit in comfortably since you would be suspended in this equipment. A good harness is one that will allow you to fit in it with your over all clothing and has gear loops and leg loops that you can adjust.

• Carabiners

Carabiners are oval or D-shaped or pear-shaped tools which are used to connect the climber, rope and rock.

• Ascenders

Ascender is a device attached to ropes to enable climbers to ascend the rope.

• Rappel Device

This is a device used to descend to a rope through a frictional mechanism.

• Rope

Do not forget to bring this since this is crucial in climbing and more importantly, it can serve various purposes in your expedition.

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