Mount Everest Facts

24 Facts about Mount Everest

Mt Everest is the Earth's highest mountain above sea level

Mt Everest's height of 8,848 m (29,029 ft) was officially recognised by Nepal and China in 2010 and it's based on the highest point of rock, not the snow over it. It is not, however, the farthest point on Earth from its center: Ecuador's Mt Chimborazo is smaller (6,263 m or 20,548 ft) but it's located along the equatorial bulge, making it the highest point on the planet.

Qomolangma ("Holy Mother") is Mt Everest's Tibetan name

The British claimed they couldn't find any commonly used local name for the peak. It was Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India, who suggested a British name in honor of his predecessor, Sir George Everest. He actually opposed the name and told the Royal Geographical Society in 1857 that his name could not be written in the local language. Despite these objections, the Royal Geographical Society officially adopted the name "Mount Everest" in 1865.

There's almost no flora or fauna on Mount Everest

There is, notably, a moss that grows on the Everest at 6,400 metres (21,200 ft), one of the highest altitude plant species. There's also a minute black jumping spider at 6,700 metres (22,000 ft), which might be the highest non-microscopic living being on Earth. Below 4,300 metres (14,000 ft), yaks, snow leopards, himalayan black bears and red pandas can be found in the region.

The First successful ascent: Tenzing and Hillary in 1953

The New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa climber called Tenzing Norgay, reached the summit on 29 May, 1953, via the South Col route. Hillary was knighted, in the Order of the British Empire, for the ascent.

4,833 different people have summited Mount Everest (2018)

Many people do it more than once --mostly Sherpas-- so there's been a total of 8,306 summits, while 288 people have died on all routes.

Guiding services cost between US$35,000 and US$200,000

The permit to enter Everest via Nepal is between US$10,000 and US$25,000 per person, while the Climbing gear, bottled oxygen and transport is around US$13,000. Guiding companies also include food, tents, fixed ropes, medical assistance, an experienced mountaineer guide and even someone to carry your backpack. They cost between US$35,000 and US$200,000.

26,500 pounds of human excrement is left behind each season

All sleeping areas on the route up Everest's south side are basically minefields of human excrement. Human waste has reached such critical levels at Mount Everest, that the government of Nepal now requires each climber to bring along 8 kg of waste when descending the mountain. Empty cans and bottles, spent oxygen tanks and abandoned tents are also part of the problem.

Many of the world's highest mountains are near Mount Everest

Mount Everest is not alone. Nearby peaks include Lhotse, 8,516 m (27,940 ft), Nuptse, 7,855 m (25,771 ft), and Changtse, 7,580 m (24,870 ft).

From snowboarding to skiing, paragliding and BASE jumping

As if mountaineering is not dangerous enough, Mount Everest has been home to other extreme sports. Yuichiro Miura was the first man to ski down Everest in the 1970s, a feat which left him with extreme injuries. In 1986, Steve McKinney became the first to fly a hang-glider off the mountain. Later, in 1988, Jean-Marc Boivin made the first paraglider descent of Everest. In 2001, Marco Siffredi and Stefan Gatt snowboarded the Everest. And in 2013, Red Bull sponsored Valery Rozov to achieve the record for the world's highest BASE jump.

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