Mount Everest has always been one of those dreams of mine. I grew up watching shows of people trying to climb Mount Everest with some succeeding and many others falling short. Everest: Beyond The Limit was the show that really got me interested in the adventure. The show followed teams of climbers and Sherpas (who are the real heroes of the expeditions) in their attempt to summit Mount Everest.
Now if you have no idea what Mount Everest is or why someone would want to climb it, here is a little info. Mount Everest is Earth's highest mountain, situated on the border of Nepal and China, with an official height of 29,031.7 ft. It is still growing due to tectonic plate movement, while its summit is a harsh "death zone" with thin air and extreme cold. The mountain has local names like Sagarmatha (in Nepal) and Chomolungma (in Tibet) and was named after Sir George Everest.
Interesting enough Sir George Everest never climbed the mountain. Nor did he ever even see it! Sir George Everest was a Surveyor-General of India from 1830 to 1843 and led a significant part of India's Great Trigonometrical Survey. He was the one who hired Andrew Waugh and Radhanath Sikdar who made the first-ever observation of Mount Everest and calculated its height. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first documented ascent of Everest in 1953. So maybe the mountain should be named Mount Norgay or Mount Hillary? Makes more sense.
The youngest person to ever summit Mount Everest is Jordan Romero, an American boy who made the summit at age 13. Other prominent young climbers include Malavath Poorna, the youngest female to climb Everest, and Bear Grylls, who wrote a book about his experience and is the youngest Briton to have reached the summit. I read the book by Bear Grylls and recommend it as well.
So now the question is could I climb it? Easy answer, NO! Would I love to go to Base camp and see the mountain up close. YES! I mean let’s be real. The official height of Mount Everest is 29,031.7 ft. The air is very thin on the summit and climbers need to use compressed gas tanks for oxygen. Temperatures can drop low as -80 degrees(F) and winds can exceed 100 mph. The area above 24,000 ft is known as the “Death Zone” due to the harsh conditions. Did I make you want to try this yet? If yes, you are crazy or are a very fit person.
As of December 2024, 7,269 different people have reached the summit of Mount Everest, with a total of 12,884 successful summits. The total number of summits is higher because many climbers, particularly Sherpas, have made multiple ascents. Because without a Sherpa your odds of making it aren’t great.
But, if you have never looked into Mount Everest, please do. It’s an amazing part of Nature and the people who can climb it are impressive!