Everest's Challenges

Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world at 8,850 m (29,035 ft), represents an "ulimate challenge" for altitude climbers. Climbers must contend with many life-threatening hazards including hypothermia, exhaustion, altitude sickness, falling down the mountain or walking off a ridge.

The weather on Everest cannot be avoided. There is no central heating or air conditioning, not even insulated walls to shield a climber from the elements. Whatever is dished out on the mountain - freezing temperatures, blinding snow or the racing winds from the jet stream coming to rest on the summit - climbers have to face it head on. More...

Climbers say Everest isn't technically a hard climb, but it's so high and the air is so thin. The height, from Basecamp at 5,350 m to the summit at 8,850 m, is the biggest physical challenge facing those who attempt the climb. The painfully thin air slows fit mountaineers to a crawl, impairs their judgment, dulls their thirst and appetite and, over time, can pose a threat to their lives. More...

The crevasses, or large cracks in the ice on Everest are constantly growing and shifting, making the crossing of the Khumbu Icefall one of the most treacherous and risky parts of the climb. More...

To climb Mount Everest is to walk willingly into the dangers of the world's highest mountain. If you take on the task you risk facing everything from nasty weather to the death of a teammate. Before reaching the top you may also face personal injury, meet sick or dying climbers, fight against altitude sickness and almost certainly come across the bodies of climbers who have died on past expeditions. At the highest altitudes on the mountain, with your body falling apart, you will have to make up your mind to continue or to retreat. More...