At 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level, Mount Everest is the world’s highest mountain and the crowning glory of the Himalayas.
The British Surveyor General of India, Andrew Waugh, named the mountain in 1865 after his predecessor Colonel Sir George Everest (1790-1866) who was the first westerner to record the location of the mountain. However, its Tibetan name is Chomolungma (‘Mother of the Universe’) and the Nepalese name is Sagarmatha (‘Goddess of the Sky’).
Did you know? Sir George Everest has Welsh connections; he was born in the Manor at Gwernvale at Crickhowell, in Powys, in 1790.
Former New Zealand beekeeper Sir Edmund Hillary and the Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit in 1953. However, the summit may have been conquered 29 years earlier, when George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared into a cloud close to the summit and were never seen again; Mallory’s frozen body was found in 1999, close to the summit. Did he reach the summit? When asked why he was climbing Mount Everest he replied with the famous line, “Because it’s there.”
The world’s highest peak has attracted many commendable achievements: the first ascent without oxygen (1978), first ascent with an artificial leg (1998), the first ski descent (2000), the first blind ascent (2001), youngest ascent (aged 16) and oldest ascent (aged 78). Click here for more fascinating facts and admirable achievements!
[As far as I am aware, no rubber duck has ever reached the summit, although this would make for an interesting world record attempt for Amber! I don’t think anyone has ever tried climbing Everest dressed like a dog either – perhaps a future challenge for me?!?]
Since 1953 about 2,500 people have ascended to the peak, although the mountain has claimed nearly 200 lives. With its freezing temperatures, high winds, avalanches and ice falls, Everest is a particularly dangerous mountain to climb.
I did not climb Mount Everest…
Everest Premium Lager Beer was introduced in 2003 to commemorate the 50th Golden Jubilee celebration of the historic conquest of Mount Everest by Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa on the 29th May, 1953.
During my trek in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas I enjoyed the odd bottle of Everest whilst relaxing with the Sherpas – refreshing after a long day trekking!
You could say that I conquered Everest… several times!
If you would like to make a donation towards the work of Dogs for the Disabled, please visit www.justgiving.com/treknepal2011. And if anyone knows where I can get hold of a bottle of Everest in Wales, please let me know!
wonderful you certainly put effort into raising money for your charity next climb???
Thanks for the blog Richard. Sounds a fabulous experience and somewhere I’ve always wanted to go.