Key Facts About Mount Everest

Height:

29,035 feet or 8,850 meters
(In comparison, North America’s tallest mountain Mt. Denali  sometimes still called Mt. McKinley, is 20,320'  ft. or 5,895 meters)

Number of climbers:

Although accurate figures are hard to come by, it seems that around 2,100 people world-wide have summitted Mt. Everest (including guides and Sherpas).

Roughly 150 people made it to the summit in each of the 2004 and 2005 seasons - however, many of these were guides and Sherpas who had summitted previously.  It's estimated that around 70 of these would be first-time Everest climbers.  (This is thought to be from around 200 climbers that attempt the mountain each year.)

Location:

Mount Everest is located in the Himalayan ranges in Nepal - on the border of Tibet, China.

Climbing routes:

There are basically two routes up Mount Everest - the North Side, from which the climb leaves from Tibet, and the South Side which is from Nepal. 

In some ways, the North side is logistically easier as it is possible to drive vehicles to base camp and you don't have to go through the ice fall.  However it involves spending longer periods of time at higher altitudes and the route is more exposed to the wind.

I’ll be climbing on the South Side - the same way Hillary did when he first climbed it. 

Temperatures:

As most people imagine, the weather on Mount Everest is extreme and often pushes the boundaries of what humans can endure - despite having the most up-to-date gear.  It is not uncommon for temperatures on the summit to fall below minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit.  However it is really the wind which causes most problems.  On the summit, this can vary between almost negligible to over 60 knots.  High winds impact the temperature & visibility and generally make climbing inadvisable.

On Everest, climbers generally wait at base camp for a weather forecast indicating around 4-5 days of clear weather (known as the "weather window") before making their summit bid. 

What training are you doing?

See my “Training” page here.

When are you going?

I am leaving on March 19^th, 2007 and expect to return June 1^st,  2007.
 

How long will it take to climb?

This is a very common question and the answer depends on where you consider the climb to start from. 

From when I arrive in Kathmandu, I’ll take 2 days to get organized and then I will fly into the mountains (to Lukla).  However this depends on whether the flights are going as they are often delayed due to weather.  From here it will take me around 10 days to trek into base camp (including rest days for acclimatization). 

Once at base camp, I'll need to rest further, and then I'll begin my "acclimatization rounds".  These will involve a program such as climbing to camp 1, staying the night, then returning to rest.  Then climbing to camp 2, returning and so on up to camp 3.   Once I have finished this and feel fine, I'll be ready to climb.  This should be by the start of May.

Once I leave from base camp for the summit, it should take me around 4 days to get to the top and 2 to get back to base camp. 

When would you expect to be summitting?

Common dates for summitting have been around May 10 and 12 however in recent seasons, the best times for summitting have been much later (even early June).  At this stage, it is unclear whether this is a trend or an abnormality, so like most climbers, I intend to be "ready" for a weather window in early May, but I’m also prepared to wait for several weeks.
 

Are you using oxygen? 

Yes - like almost all climbers going above 26,246 ft., I intend to use supplemental oxygen.  There are only around 100 climbers who have ever summitted Everest without supplemental oxygen.
 

Are you in a guided party?

Due to the extensive logistics involved in attempting a climb of Everest, as well as the way the climbing permit pricing works, almost everyone will be climbing with a party of some sort.

After extensive research, I have selected to climb with International Mountain Guides (IMG).  IMG has an excellent reputation and have been running Everest expeditions for many years now.  They will handle the massive amount of logistics associated with the climb and will have a competent manager at base camp.  Unlike most other expeditions though, with IMG, each climber essentially climbs independently - which is a feature that I liked.  This way I will be able to climb when I am ready and won't be rushed to meet a team's schedule, or conversely, My climb won't be delayed if other climbers aren't ready to move on.

In addition, I had the option of hiring western guides, local guides or having no guides at all.  I've elected to use two local guides which will hopefully give me increased flexibility while on the mountain (if I am climbing at different speeds for instance).

Time will tell if this was the best approach!

Can't anyone climb Everest these days?  I've heard It’s now very commercial and there's even shops up there!

Although Mount Everest may be more accessible than it has ever been before, it certainly is not a climb to be treated lightly.  There are several mountains which are regarded by climbers as being more difficult,  but not withstanding this, Everest certainly ranks amongst the most difficult of mountains (if not technically, due to its sheer altitude).  Climbers are advised strongly against attempting Everest without first having served a substantial apprenticeship on lower peaks.

The difficulties primarily lie in;

• The Khumbu Icefall - this section lies just above base camp and consists of a choppy section of glacier.  There are many crevasses to cross and some steep sections to climb.  Despite the fact that fixed rope is used throughout the whole icefall, this section is notorious for accidents caused by people falling (although often by people who decide not to attach to the rope) or sections of the glacier moving while climbers are on them
• The Lhotse Wall - this section lies between camps 2 and 3 and is a long steep slope.  Again, there are lines fixed along all steep sections but accidents frequently occur here
• The altitude - no-one really knows how their body is going to react to being at such a high altitude.  The lack of oxygen can lead to a variety of altitude problems and even mild altitude sickness can include chest problems, disorientation, nausea, dizziness, but worse - it can be a cause of bad decision making
• The weather - on a mountain this high, the weather can change suddenly and cause temperatures to plummet, visibility to be reduced to just a couple of feet, and winds to make balance on steep sections difficult.  Frost-bite is a constant concern anywhere above camp 2
• Fatigue - related to altitude, this can lead to poor decision-making and hence susceptibility to weather problems

And no, there are definitely no shops anywhere on the mountain (except perhaps in the delusional minds of hungry climbers!).

What will base camp be like?

There will be over 200 people at base camp - some climbers (including Sherpas and guides), as well as base camp support staff (medical, cooks, porters, managers), as well as personal supporters for various climbers.  There will also be some climbers that come along with the expeditions or independently to visit the famous Everest Base Camp.

Most climbers will have their own tent and each expedition will have several larger tents dedicated to communal activities (mess tent, dining, communications, etc).  To the untrained eye, this will probably look like a swarm of different tents with no organization, however everyone there will know exactly whose tent is whose (generally referring to them by the expedition companies' name or the nationality of the team). 

Each expedition will eat most meals together and will invariably spend time talking, playing cards and generally hanging out together.  However as base camp is quite spread out and moving around at altitude is laborious, communication between teams may be limited to each team's immediate neighbors.  In fact, it is not uncommon for news about other teams on the mountain to be gained from email or phone calls from friends and family back home reading web-updates from those teams!

How will you wash?

I have heard (and am hoping) that a couple of "washing tents" are generally set up at base camp.  These will probably be tents where there are pots of hot water.  Climbers can get in line to use the tent to mix up some of the hot water with cold and have a wash.  At best, this is only likely to happen once every couple of weeks though.  Clothes will be washed in cold water.
 

How will you go to the toilet?

There will definitely be a few "toilet tents" set up.  This will basically be the Nepalese version of a "Porta-pottie" - except it is unlikely to have a toilet seat, but will simply have a hole in the bottom leading to a container of some sort.  All waste is carried out by the porters at the end of the climbing season.

At high camps, it is uncomfortable and often inadvisable to leave your tent at night should you get the call from nature.  Instead, most people use Pee bottles.  For females this becomes a little tricky - but still do-able using implements like the P-Mate  

What food will you be eating?

At base camp and camp 2, most meals will be prepared for me by the IMG cooks.  This is likely to consist of pretty basic meat and veggie meals - accompanied by a lot of rice and some pasta. 

Traditional Nepalese food consists of Dal Bhat (lentils and rice), mild curries, flat breads, and eggs - so I'll probably be eating a fair bit of that as well.  Drinking tea is also very popular (great for warmth and to increase fluid consumption).

At other camps, I'll be catering for myself and taking pre-packaged foods from home.  I generally will eat energy bars for breakfast, pasta for dinner with soups, noodles, hot chocolate, etc.  While I am walking during the day, I'll have snacks like energy bars, fruit and chocolate bars, dried fruit, salted nuts, lollypops, etc.  I'll also be using sports drink formula and sports gels while climbing to increase the consumption of calories, salts and sugars.

 On May 1, 1963, James Whittaker became the first American to summit Everest,  he climbed via the South-Col route.

Of all the people that try, what % make the summit?

Of all the people that head to Nepal intending to attempt Everest, it seems that around 20-30% of them make the summit, many pull out earlier due to health, fitness, or acclimatization problems before making it to the summit.