Almost everyone knows that the highest mountain in the world is Everest or the Tibetan Chomolungma. That is why it attracts both professional climbers and ordinary tourists who want to visit its top.
For those who have a certain experience in climbing, most likely a lot is known about this peak. In this case, the only question will be how to pay the cost to the company organizing such ascents. It will cost about 45-50 thousand dollars. This usually takes about two months.
Well, for beginners who have been to Nepal and find out that expeditions are constantly sent to the summit of Everest and decide that they also can climb Mount Everest, we suggest that before you go on this trip, you should know where Everest is and what it is.
Third pole of the earth
The highest mountain in the world is located in the Himalayas on the border between China and Nepal. It was discovered by the British Geodetic Survey in the 19th century. Subsequently, in honor of the head of this service, Sir George Everest, she began to be called Everest.
The third pole of the Earth – also called Jomolungma – is a huge pointed rocky pyramid. Moreover, approaches to the foot of the summit are also full of difficulties. There are many glaciers, cracks and all that is inherent in snow-capped mountains. In addition, Everest has a “dead” zone, which begins at an altitude of 7925 meters. At this level, the air contains only 30% of its oxygen at sea level. If a person stays at such a height for too long, he may simply die. Therefore, here climbers use special oxygen devices.
But there were daredevils rising to the top of the mountain without oxygen devices! Already from a height of 5000 meters, a person feels discomfort with a lack of oxygen and normal physical activity, even for absolutely healthy people, becomes impossible under these conditions. Therefore, when climbing, they usually use the services of trained people who, to a certain height, carry all the luggage on themselves so that the ascendant does not waste his strength. The Nepalese Sherpa tribe, which have long lived high in the Himalayas, are adapted to such conditions and for many years most of them have been working as guides and porters on climbing expeditions.
Conquering this peak was not so simple. The top did not give up for a long time. So in 1921 the first British expedition arrived in the Himalayas.
The attempt to climb under the leadership of George Mallory ended in failure. In 1922, again, the British Sommerveli and Norton rose without oxygen devices to a height of 8326 meters. Two years later, Mallory in conjunction with Irwin again stormed the summit, but with oxygen devices. The last time they were seen with binoculars at an altitude of 8500 meters. To this day, it remains a mystery: have the top obeyed them?
Officially, the first to reach the third pole are Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. They climbed to this peak in May 1953. For this to happen, a huge expedition was organized for the 12th time, in which nearly 400 people participated. And they stayed at the top for only 15 minutes. But this was enough for these two to go down in history forever as the first conquerors of the highest mountain peak in the world. Thus, the third pole turned out to be the “toughest nut”. The north and south poles of our planet obeyed man more than forty years earlier.
Soviet conquerors
The beginning of the attempts of Soviet climbers to climb Everest dates back to the 1950s. Then the Soviet-Chinese team was assembled, which tried to storm the mountain. The attempt was unsuccessful: many people died, so the expedition was turned off. The survivors were ordered to remain silent. Years later, the situation cleared up. The first Soviet expedition to climb Everest was really organized in the middle of the last century. Soviet and Chinese climbers conducted reconnaissance of the northern slopes. However, the revolution that took place in Tibet then forced our climbers to abandon the ascent. But the Chinese did not stop it, and conquered the summit! And Soviet climbers first climbed Mount Everest in May 1982. The group consisted of 11 people. They climbed the southwestern slope, previously considered inaccessible. Since then, Soviet and Russian climbers have been to the top of the Chomolungma more than once.
Victims of Everest
Any ascent in the mountains is associated with mortal danger, especially at high altitudes, especially on such ascents as the highest peaks of the world, including Mount Everest. Here, no matter when, the main role is played by mutual assistance. Therefore, climbers always go in conjunction, insuring each other.
