The highest peak of our planet, Everest, got its name in 1865 quite by accident: by the name of the British head of the geodetic service, Sir George Everest. At the same time, neither Nepal nor Tibet were British colonies. The mountain also bears the local name "Mother of the Gods": in Tibetan Chomolungma, in Nepali Sagarmatha. The border of Nepal and China (Tibet) runs along the top. Climbing can be done from both sides.
A powerful giant with the famous sloping peak - Everest, makes a very strong impression on tourists. In the same row with it are several more eight-thousanders: Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Cho Oyu, Makalu, Kanchenjunga, Manaslu: they are clearly visible from an airplane, but Everest stands out even among these giants. This peak is one of the greatest shrines of the local population, as is Mount Kailash, the abode of the gods. But on Kailash, unlike Everest, climbing is prohibited, and the highest peak in the world has become a commercial facility. As of June 2017, a total of 4,833 climbers have ascended Everest, some more than once. 288 people died.
Everest - seabed
The Himalayas began to form very recently - 60 million years ago, after the collision of the Indian and Asian lithospheric plates. Thus, the highest mountains in the world are composed of sedimentary rocks and relatively recently were the seabed. At an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level, nodules with ammonites - fossil sea shells - are found.
Unique profession: a guide to ascents to the top of the world
Most of the ascents are made in an organized manner: climbers are united in groups under the guidance of their own and local mountain guides. In Nepal, there is a special service: at the beginning of the season, ladders and ropes are delivered to difficult areas and glaciers, with their help a fragile path for climbers is created. Groups are accompanied by porters, cooks, liaison officers. The main guide-climber is called the "Claiming Sherpa": he monitors safety directly on the route. The word "Sherpa" means both people and specialty, and also serves as a surname. Many of the local population are associated with tourism, including climbing. Guide Apa Tenzing Sherpa has been to the summit of Everest 21 times.
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"Traffic jams" for 8000
During the season, hundreds of people walk the classic climbing route. And there is only one path, starting from the base camp at an altitude of 5300 to the very top at 8848. These are stairs through glacier cracks and rope railings on vertical sections. At altitude, each movement takes a lot of energy, and therefore occurs in slow motion. Not all tourists are good at climbing technique, and the ascent and descent takes them a lot of time. Many are trite to be afraid to pass deep cracks along a narrow bridge of stairs. There are also breakdowns: the insurance keeps people, but it takes time to get them out. Therefore, dozens of people line up near difficult sections.
The Hillary Step, a 13-meter steep ice section near the summit, has a bad reputation. It got its name in honor of the first climber, New Zealander Edmund Hillary. After the 2015 earthquake, this area was destroyed and turned into an unstable and even more dangerous pile of stones.
Everest cleaning
A culture of cleanliness is just beginning to take hold in Nepal. In the capital Kathmandu, 10 years ago there were no trash bins, everyone threw garbage at their feet. In the evening, homeless people with sacks got out of the gateways: they collected garbage and received money for it. Until now, it is local porters who litter the most on mountain routes. And on Everest, in the first few years of climbing, a huge amount of waste accumulated: gas cylinders, ropes, food packaging. The first cleaning of the Mountain was organized in 2000 by the famous guide Apa Sherpa. About 3 tons of garbage were taken out. In 2008, he organized the Eco Everest Expedition, which cleared 13 tons of Everest. In 2014, the government of Nepal issued a law requiring climbers to present their used cylinders and other garbage at least 8 kg per person.
Climbing cost
Climbing Everest is the most prestigious and expensive of all. The permit alone costs about $ 12,000. Plus equipment, training, acclimatization, accompanying staff. According to the new rules, each local member of the expedition must be provided with expensive "extreme" insurance. In total, you need to focus on 50-60 thousand dollars.
Everest without oxygen
The amount of oxygen at different heights is very different. Already at 5000 meters, the atmosphere contains half the oxygen than at sea level. For a person without acclimatization, it is possible to climb here by helicopter only with the condition of a quick descent, to stay overnight is deadly. The height of Everest is 8848 meters: this is the level of long-range aviation routes. But there are professionals who come up here without using oxygen cylinders. The first were Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler in 1978. Since then, 208 people, including 8 women, have officially completed the oxygen-free ascent.
Climate change and the fight on Everest
In recent years, the Himalayan climate has begun to change. Less precipitation falls. Glaciers are rapidly melting, dips and talus are exposed. At an altitude of 6,000 meters, there is practically no snow anymore, which made climbing difficult due to rockfalls.
Not all climbers go in groups. The strongest and most professional climb as part of sponsored programs and do not use the services of local guides.
On April 27, 2013, three of the strongest climbers went to Everest: Simone Moro, Ueli Steck and cameraman Jonathan Griffith. They were planning a high-speed ascent without oxygen. On a steep section, several stones rolled down from under their feet right on the Sherpas, who were laying railings for tourists. The Sherpas began to resent. The situation did not entail dangerous consequences, the climbers at first tried to laugh it off, but about a hundred Sherpas gathered in the high-altitude camp near their tent, shouting and threatening to kill. Moreover, among the gathered Sherpas were their friends.
At some point, the situation escalated: stones flew into the trio, one of them hit Steck in the face. Moreau dodged the knife, which ripped open his backpack. The ascent was thwarted. Ueli Steck vowed that he would never go to Everest again.
It was a real blasphemy: an attack on a sacred mountain.
There was a provocation. Three of the victims are celebrities, and the incident immediately became world famous. Nepal lost its status as a reliable country, and 70 percent of Everest climbs moved to the side of China.
Everest has not forgiven sacrilege
A year later, on April 18, 2014, an avalanche descended on the Sherpas who were laying stairs to Everest through the Khumbu Icefall. 16 people were killed, 9 were injured.
Two years later, on April 25, 2015, the world was shocked by the news of a powerful earthquake in the Himalayas. In historical time, cataclysms of this magnitude did not happen. It was a disaster for a mountainous country. Numerous avalanches and rockfalls came down. Roads collapsed. The system of newly sown terraced fields was destroyed. In the cities, temples were destroyed, which stood for several centuries. Several avalanches descended on Everest, and at least 19 people died in the base camp alone.
The exact number of those killed in the disaster remained unknown, but at least 10 thousand people.
Many priests - lamas, considered this tragedy to be the Mountain's revenge for the conflict fabricated on its slope. Apa Sherpa claims that it is necessary to leave this peak alone for at least a few years, otherwise new shocks await humanity.
The world's strongest climber Uli Steck, despite his promise, was planning a new ascent to the highest peak in the world. He died on April 30, 2017 during an acclimatization hike on the spur of Everest, Mount Nuptse.