When asked why he wants to climb Mount Everest, George Mallory replied “Because it’s there.” These three words have become the source of inspiration and a sheer example of passion.
Here are few interesting facts about the mystical magical mountain we all call Everest.
1. Everest was created about 60 million years ago. The mountain was formed when India’s continental plate crashed into Asia. India’s plate pushed under Asia and raised a huge mass of land upwards, creating the world’s highest mountain rage; the spectacular Himalayas.
2. Everest was first recognised by the western world in 1841 by Sir George Everest and was called Peak 15. The name Mount Everest was then introduced in 1865, in honour of Sir George Everest.
In Nepal, Mount Everest is known as Sagarmatha, meaning ‘Goddess of the Sky’. In Tibet, it is known as Chomolungma, meaning ‘Goddess Mother of the World’. The peak is a sacred place, and requires all mountaineers to ask for permission and safe passage before attempting to summit. This is called the puja ceremony, taking place at Everest Base Camp prior to setting foot on the mountain.
3. Mount Everest is technically not the tallest mountain. This might surprise few people but while the summit of Everest may be the highest point on the surface of the Earth, it isn’t actually the tallest mountain on the planet. That distinction goes to Mauna Kea in Hawaii, which is actually 33,465 feet (10,200 meters) in height, a full 4436 feet (1352 meters) taller than Everest. Most of Mauna Kea actually sits below the surface of the ocean and its summit only rises 13,796 feet above sea level, making it appear to be relatively modest in size when compared to the mighty Everest.
4. Mount Everest has two heights. 8,848 meters: This is the official height recognized by China and Nepal. 8,844.43 meters (geological height): This height was measured by China and is also recognized by Nepal as the rock height of Everest.
Mount Everest grows approximately 44 millimetres every year. This occurs because of the continuous shift of tectonic plates, pushing the Himalayas upwards.
5. The mountaineering history was changed in 1953, when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest. However, some believe that the summit of Mount Everest was conquered much earlier.
Back in 1924, famous explorer George Mallory, along with his climbing partner Andrew Irvine, were part of an expedition attempting to complete the first ascent of the mountain. They were last seen on July 8 of that year, just below the summit, making their way upwards. They disappeared shortly after that. In 1999, a team of climbers discovered Mallory’s remains high on the slopes of Everest. The body did little to reveal whether or not he actually reached the top. Till date the body of Irvine is not found and the team’s camera is also missing. The camera might hold the evidence of their success and if found, it can change the history altogether.
6. As of December 2018, there were 9,159 summits of Mount Everest on all routes by 5,294 people. But there are bound to be accidents in such adverse climate. 295 people are known to have died on the mountain. Most people died due to avalanches, falling into crevasses, and altitude sickness. And most of them died when descending.
As of today, there are about 200 dead bodies up at Everest. The evacuation of these bodies is also very challenging and risky due to the high altitude and unsupporting weather conditions. Hence, the bodies pile up there, making Everest the ‘Highest Graveyard in the world’. The most famous body is “Green Boots”. The story of Green Boots is intriguing. Click here to read.
8. Jordan Romero is the youngest person to reach the summit. He was 13 at that time.
The oldest person to climb Everest is Yuichiro Monga who achieved this feat at the age of 80. Monga is also the first person to ski on Mount Everest. He definitely love this mountain.
9. Ever wonder how many times a person can climb the highest peak? The record is held by Kami Rita, a Nepalese Sherpa who has scaled the mountain 24 times.
10. In 2008, the Beijing Olympic torch arrived on Mount Everest at 9:17am on May 8th, marking the first time in human history that the Olympic torch had been carried to the world’s highest peak.
11. Lots of people dream about their perfect destination wedding. But Moni Mule Pati and Pem Dorjee Sherpa, a Nepalese couple who surpassed everyone when they got married on the summit of Mount Everest in 2005, being the first people to get married there.
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