Routes Up Everest
Mt Everest has two main climbing routes, the southeast ridge from Nepal and the northeast ridge from China. There are 13 other less frequently climbed routes. Of the two main routes, the southeast ridge is technically easier and more frequently used. It was the route used by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on their historic 1953 ascent. Their route, however, was dictated to them by politics rather than by design. The Chinese border was closed to foreigners, preventing expeditions on the north Tibetan side of the mountain.
Italian climber Reinhold Messner was the first to summit the mountain from the Northwest side via the North Col on 20 August, 1980. His climb was even more remarkable given that he did it solo and without supplementary oxygen. Most summit attempts are made during April and May before the summer monsoon season. A change in the jet stream at this time of year reduces average wind speeds high on the mountain. While attempts are made after the monsoons in September and October, the additional snow deposited by the monsoons makes climbing more difficult and dangerous.
Southeast Ridge
The ascent via the southeast ridge begins with a trek to Everest Base Camp at 5,380m (17,600ft) on the Nepal or south side of the mountain. Expeditions usually fly into Lukla at 2,860m (9,400ft) from Kathmandu and pass through the Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar. Climbers then hike to Everest Base Camp. This usually takes six to eight days and allows climbers to acclimatise. Yaks and Nepalese porters carry expedition climbing equipment and supplies. When Hillary and Tenzing climbed Everest in 1953, they set out from Kathmandu Valley. There were no roads further east at that time and certainly no airstrips!
Climbers will typically spend several weeks at Base Camp acclimatising while Sherpas and expedition climbers set up fixed ropes and ladders in the treacherous Khumbu Icefall. Seracs, crevasses and shifting blocks of ice make the icefall one of the most dangerous sections of the route. Many climbers and Sherpas have been killed in this section. To reduce the hazard, climbers will usually begin their ascent well before dawn. Once sunlight reaches the icefall, the danger increases substantially.
Above the icefall is Camp I, or Advanced Base Camp (ABC) at 6,065m (19,900ft). From Camp I, climbers make their way up the Western Cwm (valley) to the base of the Lhotse face where Camp II is established at 6,500 m (21,300ft). The Western Cwm is a relatively flat, gently rising glacial valley, marked by huge lateral crevasses in the centre. These crevasses prevent direct access to the upper reaches of the Cwm. Climbers are required to cross on the far right near the base of Nuptse to a small passageway known as the "Nuptse corner". The Western Cwm is also called the "Valley of Silence" because the topography of the area generally cuts off wind from the climbing route. The high altitude and a clear, windless, day can make the Western Cwm unbearably hot for climbers.
From Camp II, climbers ascend the Lhotse face on fixed ropes up to a small ledge at 7,470m (24,500ft). From there it is another 500m to Camp III on the South Col at 7,920m (26,000ft). From Camp III to Camp IV, climbers face two additional challenges: The Geneva Spur and The Yellow Band. The Geneva Spur is an anvil shaped rib of black rock named by a 1952 Swiss expedition. Fixed ropes assist climbers in scrambling over this snow covered rock band. The Yellow Band is a section of sedimentary sandstone that also requires about 100m of rope to traverse it. On the South Col, climbers then enter the Death Zone. Climbers typically only have a maximum of two or three days they can endure at this altitude for making summit bids. Clear weather and low winds are critical factors in deciding whether to make a summit attempt. If the weather does not co-operate within these short few days, climbers must descend, often all the way back down to Base Camp.
From Camp IV, climbers will begin their push for the summit around midnight with hopes of reaching the summit (still another 1,000m above) within 10 to 12 hours. Climbers will first reach The Balcony at 8,400m (27,700ft), a small platform where they can rest and gaze at peaks to the south and east in the early dawn light. Continuing up the ridge, climbers face a series of imposing rock steps that usually force them to the east and into waist deep snow - a serious avalanche hazard. At 8,750m (28,700ft), a small table-sized dome of ice and snow marks the South Summit. From the South Summit, climbers follow the knife-edge southeast ridge along what is known as the Cornice Traverse where snow clings to intermittent rock. This is the most exposed section of the climb. A wrong foot to the left will send a climber 2400m (8000ft) down the southwest face. Immediately to the right is the 3,050m (10,000ft) Kangshung face. At the end of this traverse is an imposing 12m (40ft) rock wall called the Hillary Step at 8,760m (28,750ft).
Hillary and Tenzing were the first climbers to ascend this step and they did it with primitive ice climbing equipment and without fixed ropes. Nowadays, climbers will ascend this step using fixed ropes previously set up by Sherpas. Once above the step, it is a comparatively easy climb to the top on moderately angled snow slopes - though the exposure on the ridge is extreme especially while traversing very large cornices of snow. After the Hillary Step, climbers also must traverse a very loose and rocky section that has a very large entanglement of fixed ropes that can be troublesome in bad weather. Climbers will typically spend less than a half-hour on top of the world. This reflects the need to descend to Camp IV before darkness sets in.
Northeast Ridge
The northeast ridge route begins from the north side of Everest in Tibet. Expeditions trek to the Rongbuk Glacier, setting up Base Camp at 5,180m (17,000ft) on a gravel plain just below the glacier. To reach Camp II, climbers ascend the medial moraine of the east Rongbuk Glacier up to the base of Changtse at around 6,100m (20,000ft). Camp III is situated below the North Col at 6,500m (21,300ft). To reach Camp IV on the North Col, climbers ascend the glacier to the foot of the Col where fixed ropes are used to reach the North Col at 7,010m (23,000ft). From the North Col, climbers ascend the rocky north ridge to set up Camp V at around 7,775m (25,500ft). The route goes up the north face through a series of gullies and steepens into down sloping terrain before reaching the site of Camp VI at 8,230m (27,000ft). From Camp VI, climbers will make their final summit push. Climbers must first negotiate three rock bands known as First Step, Second Step and Third Step. Once above these steps, the summit is reached.
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