How to climb Everett

Video: How To Climb Mount Everest - EPIC HOW TO

Content

Steps
Part 1 of 3: Preparation
Part 2 of 3: Route through the South Col
Part 3 of 3: The Northern Route
Tips
Warnings
What do you need

Despite the fact that Everest is the highest peak of the Himalayan mountain system, it is quite possible to climb it if you choose the right route. However, even on the simplest route through the South Col, roaring winds and dangers from extreme altitudes await you. Before climbing, it is recommended that you properly work on your physical fitness and develop a positive approach. The first route along the southeastern ridge of Everest in 1953 was New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary and his guide, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Preparation

1 Get physical. Everest is an ordeal for even the strongest. The test of strength is not only for your body, but also for your psyche. Give preference to exercises that strengthen the cardiovascular system and increase physical endurance. Walk up the stairs with weights. Climb the mountains several times. As you get stronger and stronger, gradually build up the duration of your workouts and the load.
- Six months before climbing: Start exercising four times a week. You should enjoy exercising, such as jogging or cycling. Add to that medium-intensity strength training such as push-ups, pull-ups, and abdominal exercises.
- Five months before climbing: Increase the duration of your workout and the load. You can start exercising 6 times a week. When doing strength exercises, increase the number of repetitions. Add uphill exercises to your workout routine, such as walking on steep slopes with a heavy backpack.
- Four months before the climb: Start building your aerobic endurance. At this stage, you should engage in vigorous aerobic exercise for 45 minutes, 6 times a week. Continue to practice uphill. You can gradually increase the weight of the backpack, but only if your body is ready for it, otherwise knee joints can be damaged.
- Three months before the ascent: At this stage, you should be sufficiently prepared, both physically and mentally. Take a multivitamin and small doses of iron supplements regularly. Iron helps blood cells carry oxygen, but too much iron in the body will do more harm than good. Eat a healthy diet and increase the duration of your aerobic workout from 45 minutes to an hour. Continue uphill climbing at a higher difficulty level - for example, try running up steep slopes. Go camping to test your camping equipment.
- Two months before climbing: Continue with your training plan. Increase the duration of your aerobic activity. Build your stamina. When training with weights, do not try to lift as much as possible: instead, try to reduce the weight a little and do the maximum number of reps per minute. Check the readiness of your equipment in the field. Do not forget about the correct diet and drink more water.
2 Master the technical skills of a mountaineer. To climb Everest, you must master the basics of mountaineering, rock climbing and orienteering. Special courses in tourism and orientation will help you with this. You must have the skills of hiking, be able to cross water obstacles and handle the rope (knot, use belay, climb down the rope), as well as navigate the terrain, be able to overcome crevasses and have the skills of rescue in the mountains. Special skills are needed even in order to discharge natural necessities in extremely low temperatures. You can find out what other skills you need from your future guide.
3 Be aware of the dangers that await you on your way to the top. The most common causes of death in the mountains are falling from a glacier, lack of oxygen, altitude sickness, severe weather and frostbite. Learn from the mistakes of other climbers. Remember the symptoms of altitude sickness, learn how to prevent it, and learn first aid techniques.
4 Prepare to face the death zone. At an altitude of 8000 m, the so-called "death zone" begins on Everest, where it is rather difficult to survive. Any exposed part of the body is immediately frostbitten. Temperatures are very low, so the ice becomes extremely slippery. The oxygen level is only 337 mbar, which is one third of the physiological norm. Conditions in the Death Zone are so harsh that it takes most climbers about 12 hours to cover the 1.72 km distance from the South Saddle to the summit. It takes 50 days of acclimatization in the highlands to survive in the death zone. Without it, a person loses consciousness in a matter of minutes.
- Since the summit of Everest is inaccessible to helicopters, if you cannot walk, you will be left there to die. On the way to the top, you can often see the bodies of climbers.
5 Get the experience you need. If you think you know everything, it means that you still have a lot to learn. To conquer Everest, you need at least three years of mountaineering experience. Make multiple ascents in similar high altitude and low temperature conditions.
6 Book your tour. Most mountaineering travel companies form groups of about 10 people, accompanied by numerous local Sherpa guides and several guides. The travel company will obtain permission for you to climb and provide the necessary supply of oxygen.Sherpas, accustomed to living conditions in the Himalayan mountains, will carry loads and equipment, as well as help you to climb. On average, an expedition to Mount Everest will cost you 60-70 thousand dollars.
- Choosing cheaper tours or trying to organize your own ascent puts yourself at increased risk. In general, the more you pay, the safer your ascent will be. Hundreds of climbers trying to save money were killed.
7 Prepare the necessary equipment. Ask your travel company for a list of the equipment you need. For example, you will need crampons and an ice ax, special gloves and a hat, supplies, tiles to melt ice and food, and a first aid kit.

Part 2 of 3: Route through the South Col

1 Trekking from the camp in Kathmandu (Nepal) to the Base Camp on the Khumbu glacier. This trek should take 6 to 8 days. Moving from one camp to another on foot is not a waste of time: you will have the opportunity to get used to the conditions of the highlands. The camp is located at an altitude of 5380 m. Usually climbers spend several days in the Base Camp to get used to the low oxygen level and prevent the occurrence of altitude sickness. During the stop, the Sherpas will prepare the ropes and ladders for the next leg of your journey.
2 Crossing the Khumbu Icefall. Icefall is ice blocks and cracks in constant motion. It is better to cross the icefall even before dawn, when the air temperature is low and the ice floes are firmly frozen to each other. You have to climb to Base Camp I, located at an altitude of 6065 m.
3 Climbing the glacier to the Western Circus. The Western Circus (aka Western Kar, or the Valley of Silence) is a flat, smoothly rising ice valley, in places crossed by ice cracks. On it you will reach Base Camp II, set up at an altitude of 6500 m at the foot of Mount Lhotse.
4 Climbing the slope of Lhotse to Base Camp III. Rope rails stretched along the wall will help you to climb the slope, which is completely covered with ice. The handrails are stretched throughout the entire climb and provide continuous belay. The slope of the wall reaches 50 degrees, moreover, it is covered with solid ice, from which cats easily break loose. Base Camp III is set up at an altitude of 7470 m.
5 Crossing the Geneva Spur to Base Camp IV. The Geneva Spur was named so by the Swiss expedition, which first reached it in 1952. It is a large black rock ledge in front of which lies a patch of yellow sandstone called the Yellow Edge. There are also ropes that will help you climb to Base Camp IV on the South Col at 7920m.
6 Storming the summit. In order to climb to the top of Everest, you need to get into the "window" of sunny and calm weather, otherwise you will have to descend back to Base Camp. The last leg of the route is an assault on a series of rocky ledges, as well as a 12-meter climb up a steep and narrow ice ridge called the Hillary Step. Having overcome this slope, you will find yourself on the top of Mount Everest - at the highest point of the Earth (8848 m).

Part 3 of 3: The Northern Route

1 Trekking to the northern Base Camp in Tibet. The route to the Base Camp is 22 km long and passes through rough terrain, covered with boulders, ice and snow. The trail follows the Rongbuk Glacier and then turns into its tributary called Rongbuk East. The camp is located at an elevation of 6400 m.
2 Trek to the North Col via East Rongbuk. The East Rongbuk Glacier is the first point of the route where you will have to use the crampons. After a short trek, you can use the ropes stretched along the slope. The ascent is very steep, almost sheer at times. The journey to the high-altitude camp at the North Col, located at an elevation of 7000 m, takes about 5 hours.
3 Trekking to the high-altitude camp II. The road between the high-altitude camps runs over rocks, sometimes covered with snow, and is famous for its strong winds. The trek to High-Altitude Camp II at 7500 m will take about 5 hours. Many climbers use this camp for acclimatization.
4 Trekking to high-altitude camp III in conditions of strong winds and snow. Many travelers do not stop at this camp and follow directly to the high-altitude camp IV. Camp III is located at an altitude of 7900 m. Here most climbers have to sleep with an oxygen tank. In conditions of hurricane winds, the journey to the camp takes up to 6 hours, but the camp itself is protected from the wind by the North Saddle of Everest. Since there are practically no flat surfaces in this part of Everest, the camp spreads over several small rocky shelves.
5 Trekking to high-altitude camp IV using rope ropes. You have to overcome the snow-covered ravine, holding on to the outstretched handrail, and then descend a small slope to the North Col directly below the camp. Usually no one spends a lot of time in Camp IV, this is just a point for a short rest. Camp IV is located at an altitude of 8300 m.
6 Transition through three steps. To get to the top, you need to climb three rocky steps. The ascent to the first step is quite difficult and requires pulling up on a rope. The first step is followed by the round rock "Mushroom". Its slopes are covered with mobile rock, which is difficult to walk on. The second step, the “Chinese Ladder”, is the most difficult to overcome and involves climbing an ice wall using a vertical ladder with the risk of falling off a 3000 m deep abyss. The third step is a relatively uncomplicated rocky area, although in extreme weather conditions this passage can be a harsh test.
7 Storming the summit. The final rush to the top takes place in conditions of strong wind and extremely low temperatures, the ascent is steep. The path along the slope of the Summit Pyramid is blocked by several small rocky ledges. The summit ridge of Everest is open to all elements. It has steep 60-degree slopes and 3 km of cliffs on either side. After walking along the ridge, you will reach the highest point of Everest - 8848 m.

Tips

From the top of Everest, a panorama of 160 km around opens. From this height, you can see the curvature of the earth's surface.
The main problem when climbing Everest is weather conditions, which often force expeditions to turn back. The best weather for the summit is in May, between the winter bad weather and the summer monsoons.

Warnings

Conditions above 8000 m are called the “death zone”. Hundreds of people died in the death zone from cold and oxygen starvation.
Mount Everest is one of the coldest places on planet Earth. The temperature here drops to -60 ° C, which is colder than at the North Pole.