This book is all about the highest mountain on Earth, Mt Everest. It details some of the famous explorers who have attempted to summit. It also has some information on what it's like to climb Everest.

Everest

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Edmund Percival Hillary was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 20, 1919.

In 1953 Hillary joined a group of climbers who planned to reach Everest’s peak. The group left Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 10, 1953. 

The team was split into groups and Hillary was partnered with a Sherpa named Tenzing Norgay.

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Everest is called Chomolungma by the Tibetan people. It means Mother Goddess of the Universe.

Everest was named Sagarmatha by the people of Nepal. It means Goddess of the Sky

Everest is part of the Himalayan Mountain Range. Some of the highest mountains in the World are here.

The rest of the world found about this amazing mountain in 1841 when it was first surveyed by a British survey team lead by Sir George Everest.

In 1865, it was named Mount Everest, after Sir George Everest. While local people still use the traditional names, throughout the world it is now known as Mount Everest.

You step onto the ridge climbing on what seems the edge of the world. Occasionally, the snow gives way and you slide down for a second. A frightening second. 

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Life at Base camp is tough. Climbers spend weeks here with the most basic of facilities. There are no 5 Star hotels to check in to. Washing and toilet facilities are very basic and you sleep in tents.

The food too is basic. There are no shops nearby and everything the climbers need to survive has to be carried in by Sherpas and Yaks. This means that the food you will be eating is food that is designed to last a long time. Tasting good is not the highest priority. 

Once you begin your climb your first goal is to make it to Camp 1 at an altitude of 6,100 metres.

Before you get to Camp 1 however, you have a few obstacles to get past. The first is crossing the Khumbu Glacier. Hidden crevasses lie under your feet and could open at any time. At all times you must make sure you are clipped in to the ropes laid out by the Sherpas.

Avalanches too are always a possibility. Sherpas will have placed ladders across open crevasses. Walking on these while carrying your gear and wearing shoes with crampons is a dangerous task.

Ahead of you is a line of lights. You're not alone tonight. Others are beginning their slow push to the. summit. But the sound of your own shallow breath is all you hear.

Coming down is even scarier but that's a story for another day.

It is absolutely terrifying and you climb and climb, awaiting the first rays of dawn. It's freezing. It's steep. It's icy. Every step is an effort.

As you peer ahead you see a light coming towards you. someone has turned back. "Can't go on, good luck" they say as they carefully pass you.

The sun begins to rise. Below you lies the world in all its glory. You kick your feet to beat the oncoming frostbite. 

Before beginning their attempt on Everest climbers have to acclimatise to the thin air. This means that they will spend weeks beforehand making longer and longer climbs until their body is used to the effort.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/12975430@N03/2930534425">"Mt. Everest Base Camp"</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/12975430@N03">emifaulk</a>&nbsp;is licensed under&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=ccsearch&amp;atype=rich">CC BY 2.0</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/NVeVVda8R0aRQOHhrooCnw">Camp 4-The Death Zone</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/asJbbDVMTj6TYZKp732v1g">The Summit Push</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/85i-dxxNRu6poOGkayP96A">Video</a>

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Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth.

The summit is 8848.86 metres above sea level.

Everest was formed when the Indian and Asian Tectonic Plates collided.

The first people to reach the summit did so in 1953.

Last year it was announced that Mt. Everest had grown by 1 metre.

At the summit of Everest the wind can blow over 320KM per hour.

The temperature can drop to as much as -60 degrees Celcius.

It is impossible to climb Everest for most of the year. In mid May each year, the weather becomes a little better allowing people to attempt the climb. This happens again for a short period in November. These are called 'Summit Windows'.

For all climbers attempting to climb Everest their journey begins at Everest Base Camp.

You might be thinking that starting the climb up so high is cheating but Everest is deep in the Himalayan Mountains. To climb to the top from Sea Level would mean you would have to climb many more mountains before you ever reach Everest.

Base Camp for Everest is at 5400 metres above Sea Level. 

At 5,400 metres the oxygen in the air is already low. The highest I have climbed was to 4,765 metres and even when taking a deep breath you find you are barely. getting enough oxygen. At higher altitudes this gets even tougher.

On May 29, more than 11 weeks after they had begun their journey, Hillary and Tenzing reached the peak of Mount Everest. They were the first to do so.

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Mallory's fate was unknown for 75 years until his body was discovered in 1999. Whether they made it to the summit or not still remains a mystery.

When asked why he would attempt to climb Everest, he replied, "Because it's there".

Hillary stayed active after his historic climb. In 1958 he led the first trip since 1912 to reach the South Pole by land. In 1967 he was among the first people to climb Antarctica’s Mount Herschel. In 1977 he traveled by boat up the Ganges River of India.

Hillary wrote many books about his adventures. He returned to Nepal several times but never climbed to the top of Everest again. He helped build schools, air strips, and health clinics for the Sherpa people of Nepal. He died on January 11, 2008, in Auckland.

No-one attempts to summit Everest without a Sherpa.

“Sherpa” means “person of the east”

Sherpa is a name given to people who live in the upper Himalayan region of Nepal. Some of them also live in Sikkim, India and Tibet. 

Sherpas live their entire lives high up in the Himalayas. They are used as guides and support by many mountaineers attempting to summit Everest.

You've reached the Balcony. Time for a short rest and a chance to change to a new oxygen bottle. Ahead of you is a ridge and above that is the South Summit. 

You are only 95 metres from the summit. But this is where many finish their climb, unable to make the rest of the journey. But you are determined to reach the top.

After a night sleeping in your tent the next part of your journey is to travel to Camp 2. This is at 6,400 metres above sea level. It might not sound like much but as you plod slowly through the snow you might find yourself getting a headache from the lack of oxygen.

Finally you reach the foot of the icy Lhotse wall, your home for the night. This is also your last chance to get a decent, prepared meal.

Make sure you don't camp too close to the rock face. Avalanches can happen in an instant. You might be tempted to just lie in your tent but you still need to acclimatise so short walks will do you good while you prepare for the next part of your journey.

Resting in your tent and already feeling weak you try to get some sleep as night falls outside. In a couple of hours you will start to put on your gear for the final part of the adventure - the summit push.

You check your gear again, making sure you have everything you will need for the summit push

Just before midnight you stop outside and begin your climb.

Now it's time to get really serious. The Lhotse Wall stands in front of you.

Imagine sliding on a fun, icy slope on a sunny winter's day. Only this one is 1200 metres high. This is not a place to play. 

The Sherpas have laid out the ropes but you must make sure to tie yourself in correctly. Sometimes you need to release yourself to tie yourself to the next rope. Make sure your feet are planted firmly. You might be feeling a little light headed at this stage. And your headache is not going away.

George Herbert Leigh Mallory&nbsp;(June 18, 1886 - June 8/June 9 1924) was a British mountaineer&nbsp;who took part in three expeditions to&nbsp;Everest&nbsp;in the early 1920's.

Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew Irvine both disappeared somewhere high on the North - East Ridge in an attempt to get to the top. The pair's last known sighting was only a 200 metres from the summit.

Climbing Everest is unlike climbing most mountains. Because it is so high there is very little air at the top for climbers to breathe.

Climbers have to acclimatise to the altitude. This means they have to get used to living at great heights and coping with the lower oxygen levels. This takes time.

Because Sherpas are used to this they are often used to prepare the way for climbers, laying out ropes and ladders and creating paths for other climbers.

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On March 10, 1953, he began climbing with a group that included Hillary. The two men reached the top on May 29. 

Norgay never knew the exact date of his birthday and so he chose the date he reached the summit as his official birth date.

Norgay’s son, Jamling Tenzing Norgay, also reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1996.

You need a lot of specialised equipment to climb something like Everest.

Despite the short distance you are still hours from the summit. You need to stay alert but the headache has returned and even with the oxygen tank on your back you are light headed. You can't think straight.

All you can do is put one foot in front of the other and pull yourself forward on the rope.

But there is one more obstacle in your way. The Knife Ridge. It is steep and looks truly nasty. The ridge towers almost freely over Nepal and Tibet, it's sharp and very steep. The Hillary Step is in the middle somewhere, a rock climb in the sky.

The summit of Mt Everest is the border of Nepal to the south and Tibet on the north.

Camp 1 is in a vast, flat area of endless snow, deep crevasses and mountain walls frequently washed by avalanches. As you settle in for the night you might hear the glacier cracking. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't happen right under your tent. 

In the past climbers had much more basic gear.

After 8 hours of climbing Camp 3 is in sight. Your tent has been put up by your Sherpas in advance and all you want to do is to lie down and sleep.

No-one is talking now. It takes too much energy. You are entering the Death Zone. A place where the oxygen levels are so low you even sleep with an oxygen tank.

The area around Camp 4 resembles the Moon. You are at the edge of the atmosphere and the sky is a strange, dark blue colour.

Above you is the summit. You can almost see it but you know the hardest part is to come.

<a href="bookcreator://page/E7OOjEBMRk-GtgNFo45_6Q">Everest Facts</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/gRRMLAMhTMOS5S9YzwmVnA">Location</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/0aQ7_jEJRB-Ys2NJhKy2jA">History</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/UAM6rJaoTLe4PRVRZSmzuw">Sherpa</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/FcFu5acTTOaPkKisOCYI0A">Weather</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/dL8pcxXRTJukUdLp_AVTIg">George Mallory</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/-NM-j7kCReemOKhcfo36hQ">Edmund Hillary</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/rutYD1NRQ3OIuWMPnGcgPw">Tenzing Norgay</a>

<a href="bookcreator://page/dSYS9QRLSAS0Thj4uxO7hQ">How to Climb Everest</a>

Tenzing Norgay (originally called Namgyal Wangdi), was born in Kharta Valley, Nepal. He was the 11th of 13 children but sadly, many of his siblings died at a very young age. Life in Nepal was very tough. 

As a young man, Norgay worked as a porter, helping climbers carry objects and cargo up a mountain. 

In 1953 he was hired to help with the British teams attempt to be the first to summit Everest ands partnered with Edmund Hillary.

The Hillary step behind you at last you see strange wavelike formations of frozen snow pointing out from the summit.

You keep climbing, wondering if there really is a summit. You're tired and beginning to wonder how much longer you can go on.

And then suddenly there is no more up. You are looking down at the North side of Everest. You have reached the summit.

Exhausted you sit down, looking at the world below you. You only have a few minutes to savour this moment. You take out the flag you brought with you, perhaps leave an offering to the Sky Goddess and prepare for the journey back down.

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