Facts and Info

Where in the world?

• Mount Everest sits between Tibet and Nepal in the Great Himalayas.

• The Himalayan mountain range runs from the Indus River in Pakistan to the Brahmaputra River in southeast Tibet. It passes through India, Nepal, east India, and Bhutan.

• The northern range is called the Trans-Himalayas. The southern range has three parallel zones: the Great Himalayas, with the highest peaks (average elevation 6,100 m/20,000 ft); the Lesser Himalayas with 2,130 to 4,570 m (7,000 to 15,000 ft) elevations; and the Outer Himalayas with heights of 610 to 1,520 m (2,000 to 5,000 ft).

What's in a name?

• Mount Everest is named for Sir George Everest, who surveyed India for the British from 1806 to 1843. In 1830 he was named surveyor-general.

• Before 1865, Mt. Everest was known as "Peak XV."

• The Nepalese word for Mt. Everest is Sagarmatha, meaning "goddess of the sky."

• In Tibet, Mt. Everest is called Qomolangma (Chomolangma), meaning "goddess-mother."

Going up?

• "Peak XV" (later re-named Mount Everest) in the Himalayas was determined to be the highest mountain in the world in 1852. The height was estimated at 29,002 feet (8,840 m) by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India.

• In 1955, the height of Mt. Everest was adjusted from the original measurements. It grew by 8 metres to 8,848 m (or by 26 feet to 29,028 ft).

• Mt. Everest grew another 2 m (7 ft) in 1999 after researchers analyzed data retrieved from the mountain in 1998. They discovered the mountain is actually 8,850 m (29,035 ft) high.

And the first prize goes to…

• George Mallory of Britain was part of the first recorded expedition to attempt to climb Everest in 1921. He and climbing partner Andrew Irvine died on the mountain in 1924, leaving an unsolved mystery of whether they ever reached the top.

• Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand became the first to summit Mt. Everest in 1953. His climbing partner Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was a close second.

• James Whittaker became the first American to summit Mt. Everest in 1963.

• Junko Tabei of Japan became first woman to summit Everest in 1975.

• Reinhold Messner (Italy) and Peter Habeler (Austria) were the first to ascend to the top without using bottled oxygen in 1978.

• Messner made another first in 1980, becoming the first to make a solo ascent of Everest. He also did this climb without oxygen.

• Laurie Skreslet became the first Canadian to climb Everest by the South Col route in 1982.

• Canadian Sharon Wood became the first North American woman to summit Everest in 1986.

chorten: A stone building or monument often containing artifacts or relics from the past. Many of them have been erected in memory of Sherpas or other climbers who have died on Mt. Everest.

col: As in South Col, it means steep, high mountain pass.

crevasse: A crack, often deep, in the surface of a glacier. In the Khumbu Icefall they're crossed using ropes and ladders.

cwm: As in Western Cwm, it's a Welsh word commonly translated as valley. Specifically, it means a deep and steep-walled basin on a mountain.

HACE: Acronym for High Altitude Cerebral Edema, a condition where fluid accumulates in the brain as a result of high altitude exposure. The only cure is a rapid descent to lower elevations, along with immediate medical treatment.

HAPE: Acronym for High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. It's an accumulation of fluid in the lungs due to high altitude exposure. Without an immediate descent to lower altitudes, it can quickly lead to HACE.

jumar: This word is used both as a noun (object) and a verb (action word) in climbing. As a noun, it's a type of rope ascending device which allows a one-way movement on the rope. As a verb, it means to ascend a rope using the device.

puja: This term, meaning an act of worship or showing reverence to a god or to aspects of the divine, is found in both Buddhist and Hindu religions. In relation to expeditions on Mt. Everest, puja usually refers to the ceremony of blessing the Buddhist Sherpas perform before climbing.

serac: A block or tower of ice on a steep glacier or in an ice fall. They usually appear where crevasses intersect and since they are created by the force of gravity working on the glacier, they can come down at any moment.

Everest News: Big hub for news of Everest expeditions, climbing and gear information, and general trivia on Mt. Everest. The site also features an interview with Byron Smith.

Mountain of Mystery: From CBC's The National, learn about the discovery of George Mallory's body in 1998 and the remaining mystery of whether he ever reached the summit.

Mountain Frontiers: An extensive Australian site with information on altitude, extremes and the great ranges, including the Himalayas.

Gripped.com: Canadian online climbing magazine.

Vulcan Ford: Byron Smith's account of his 1998 Everest expedition, hosted on his company website.