EVEREST FACTS

EVEREST FACTS

Age of Everest:Everest was formed about 60 million years ago

Elevation:29,035 (8850m)-found to be 6' higher in 1999

Name in Nepal:Sagarmatha (means: goddess of the sky)

In Tibet:Chomolungma: (means: mother goddess of the universe)

Named after:Sir George Everest in 1865 ,the British surveyor-general of India. Once known as Peak 15

Location:Latitude 27° 59' N.....Longitude 86° 56' E It's summit ridge seperates Nepal and Tibet

First Ascent:May 29,1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary, NZ and Tenzing Norgay, NP, via the South Col Route

First Solo Ascent:Aug. 20,1980, Reinhold Messner, IT, via the NE Ridge to North Face

First winter Ascent:Feb. 17,1980 -L.Cichy and K. Wielicki, POL

First Ascent by an American:May 1,1963, James Whittaker, via the South-Col

Mt. Everest rises a few milimeters each year due to geological forces

Everest Name:Sir George Everest was the first person to record the height and location of Mt. Everest, this is where Mt."Everest" got its name from(In american language)

First Ascent by a Woman:May 16,1975, Junko Tabei, JAP, via the South-Col

First Ascent by an American Woman:Sep.29,1988, Stacey Allison, Portland, OR via the South-East Ridge

First Oxygenless Ascent:May 8, 1978- Reinhold Messner, IT, and Peter Habeler, AUT, via the South-East Ridge

First woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest from both north & south sides:Cathy O'Dowd (S.A.) South May 25,1996/North '99

Fastest Ascent from South:Babu Chhiri Sherpa 34, NP-16 hours and 56 minutes (5-21-2000)

Fastest Ascent (north side):Hans Kammerlander (IT) May,24,1996, via the standard North Col Ridge Route, 16 hours 45 minutes from base camp

Youngest person:Temba Tsheri (NP) 15 on May,22,2001

Oldest Person:Sherman Bull May,25,2001 -64 yrs

First Legally Blind Person:Erik Weihenmeyer May,25,2001

Most Ascents:Eleven, 24th May 2000 Appa Sherpa became the first person to climb Everest 11 times-Ten, Ang Rita Sherpa, Babu Chiri Sherpa all ascents were oxygen-less.

Best and Worst Years on Everest:1993, 129 summitted and eight died (a ratio of 16:1); in 1996, 98 summitted and 15 died (a ratio of 6½:1)

Highest cause cause of death:Avalanches-about a (2:1) ratio over falls

Country with most deaths on mountain:Nepal-46

Most dangerous area on mountain:Khumbu Ice Fall-19 deaths

First ski descent:Davo Karnicar (Slovenia) 10-7-2000

Last year without ascent:1974

Last year without ascent:1977

Corpses remaining on Everest:about 120

Longest stay on top:Babu Chiri Sherpa stayed at the summit full 21 hours and a half

Largest team:In 1975, China tackled Everest with a 410-member team.

Fastest descent:In 1988, Jean-Marc Boivin of France descended from the top in just 11 minutes, paragliding.

Only climber to climb all 4 sides of Everest:Kushang Sherpa, now an instructor with Himlayan Mountaineering Institute

First person to hike from sea level to summit, no oxygen.:11th May 1990,Tim Macartney-Snape, Australian

Largest number to reach the top in one day:40, on May 10, 1993

First person to summit Everest twice:Nawang Gombu-Nepal(once with Whitaker in '63,and again two years later in '65)Gombu now works for the Himalayan mountaineering institute

The oldest woman to summitAnna Czerwinska May 22, 2000.

About Everest

Mount Everest "Holy Mother"; in Nepali: सगरमाथा, Sagarmatha is the earth's or world's highest mountain, with a peak at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point. Its massif includes neighboring peaks Lhotse (8516 m), Nuptse (7855 m) and Changtse (7580 m). In 1856, the Great Trigonometric Survey of British India established the first published height of Everest, then known as Peak XV, at 29,002 ft (8,840 m). In 1865, Everest was given its official English name by the Royal Geographical Society upon a recommendation by Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India. Waugh named the mountain after his predecessor in the post, Sir George Everest. Although Tibetans had called Everest "Chomolungma" for centuries, Waugh was unaware of this because Nepal and Tibet were closed to foreigners. The highest mountain on the earth attracts many well-experienced mountaineers as well as novice climbers willing to hire professional guides. While not posing substantial technical climbing challenges on the standard route, Everest presents dangers such as altitude sickness, weather and wind.