Mount Everest

Mount Everest, at 29,035 feet (8,848 meters), is the highest mountain in the world and is located on the Nepal/Tibet border. It was named in 1865 after Sir George Everest, the British surveyor general of India.

The Nepalese name for the mountain is Sagarmatha, which means Goddess of the Sky.

The Tibetan name is Chomolungma (or Quomolongma), which means Mother Goddess of the Universe.

Most climbers attempt Everest during the spring months, April and May, just before the monsoon.  Because of its height and changing weather, it takes six to eight weeks as

climbers go up and down the mountain to acclimatize and establish camps and then wait for good weather for the final summit push.

In 1924, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine (England) were last seen close to the summit on the north route in Tibet. It remains a mystery whether they reached the top before perishing on the mountain.  In 1999, a team lead by mountain guide, Conrad Anker, found Mallory's body.  They hoped to find his camera so they could look at the film and see if photos were taken on the summit but a camera was not found.

The first to reach the summit were Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal, via the Southeast Ridge, on 5/29/53. The first American was James Whittaker on 5/1/63. Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler (Italy/Austria) were the first to climb without supplemental oxygen, on 5/8/78.

The first woman to the summit was Junko Tabei of Japan, on 5/16/75. Stacy Allison was the first American woman on 9/28/88. In 1988, Lydia Bradey (New Zealand) became the first woman to reach the summit without using supplemental oxygen.  Only five women have successfully climbed Everest without using supplemental oxygen.

Statistics

According to the Himalayan Database, by the end of spring, 2011, there were 5,576 summits of Everest, 171 (5 women) without the use of supplemental oxygen. This includes multiple ascents for several people, such as Sherpas and guides.  It is estimated that roughly 4,000 climbers have reached the top at least once. 231 people died, 61 after reaching the summit.

Only 319, about 6%, of summits were reached by women. Taking into account multiple ascents, 265 women have reached the summit of Everest at least once, including 49 American women. Click HERE for a chart through 2009.

The Nepalese, most hired as climbing Sherpas, easily top the number of summits with 2,507. They have also suffered the most deaths - 80.

Apa Sherpa (far right) holds the record for the most summits - 21. Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa (far left) set a speed record in 2003 by climbing from Everest Base Camp to the summit in 10 hours, 56 minutes, 46 seconds. That's me in the middle after our 2007 attempt in Tibet. Apa and Lhakpa Gelu had just climbed to the top via the Nepal side as part of a Super Sherpa team. I'm in good company.

There has been a staggering increase in the number of people and summits per year on Everest. Summits as a percentage of attempts has gone from roughly 30/40% in the 1990's to 60/70% in the 2000's. Click HERE for a chart.

Sherpas

The photo, by Shinji Tamura, is of the Himalayan Experience Sherpas.

Who are these incredible people with larger-than-life strength and spirit? The Sherpas are an ethnic group. They are direct descendents of people of the eastern Tibetan region who migrated across the Himalaya in the 16th century. Many of Nepal's Sherpas reside in the Khumbu Valley, the gateway to the southern side of Everest in Nepal.

In Tibetan, Sherpa means "People from the East." The term 'sherpa' is also used to refer to local people, typically men, employed as porters or guides for mountaineering expeditions in the Himalaya. They are highly regarded as experts in mountaineering, as well as having good physical endurance and resilience to high altitude conditions. A sherpa is not necessarily a member of the Sherpa ethnic group and not all Sherpas are climbers.

Traditionally (although not very strictly followed), the names of Sherpa men often reflect the day of the week on which they were born: Sunday (Ngima), Monday (Dawa), Tuesday (Mingma), Wednesday (Lhakpa), Thursday (Phurba), Friday (Pasang), and Saturday (Pemba).

The Puja Ceremony

Once Base Camp is established, it is time to hold the Puja ceremony. During the Puja, the Sherpas ask and pray to the gods for permission to climb Mount Everest and for a blessing for a safe and successful expedition. Until the Puja is held, no one from the expedition is allowed to climb, for fear of angering the gods. As a Buddhist religious ceremony, the Puja is presided over by a Lama, a Buddhist holy man.

During the Puja, the flag pole is raised upon the chorten and prayer flags strung across the camp. The climbers and Sherpas place their ice axes, crampons, and other items against the chorten to be blessed during the ceremony. The Lama chants as everyone throws tsampa (a roasted barley flour) toward a stone altar covered with offerings.

Prayer flags can be seen all throughout camp and Buddhist Tibet/Nepal. They are said to purify the air and pacify the gods, as they flutter in the wind and release the prayers written upon them to the heavens. The five colors of the prayer flags - red, green, yellow, blue and white - are symbolic of the earth's five elements: fire, wood, earth, water and iron.

My Experiences on Everest

My two experiences on Everest were different in every possible way.

In 2007, I joined a small (4 climbers, 3 Sherpas, 2 cooks), unknown, unguided, American team on the north side, Tibet, was completely healthy throughout the expedition and came within 800 vertical feet of the summit on a beautiful sunny day.  One climber and a Sherpa did reach the summit. 

I decided to return in 2008 but just two weeks before our scheduled departure date, the Chinese closed the north side of the mountain so their Olympic torch bearer team could climb to the top in peace. So we postponed our expedition to the following year and ended up switching to the south/Nepalese side of the mountain - argh!  Heart attack.

In 2009, I joined a large (28 climbers, 28 Sherpas, 7 guides, an expedition leader, staff and film crew), high profile, international, guided expedition on the south side, Nepal, was sick or injured most of the time and reached the summit in a whiteout.

20 climbers and our Sherpas, 7 guides and 2 film crew made it to the top.  The photo is of me with Himalayan Experience expedition leader, Russell Brice, after our summit.  I was exhausted, happy and relieved and have since gained twenty pounds, which actually is too much.

Click here for the card I made after the climb.