Mount Everest

TheMount Everest (8848m), mother of all alpine cravings has been named in the West after the English land surveyor Sir George Everest, but carries several names:

  • Chomlungma – Mother Earth(Tibet)
  • Sagarmatha – Heavenly Goddes(Nepal)
  • Peak XV – after the land survey of 1852 (England)

It is not its altitude that made the Everest the most popular mountain in the world. It’s history is made up of all triumphs and defeats of its climbers. It is the incarnation of alpine majesty and aloofness that makes it quickly and perfectly clear to climbers that it is not them mastering the mountain but that person succeeding to reach the top is one of the privileged in this world. Neither the filthy base camp nor the large number of visitors mistreating the nature will ever change that.

The wish to climb the Everest rose right after the first WW. The first attempts failed and many of the self declared conquerors and their porters died.

The currently most popular failure was Mallory‘s attempt in 1924. He and his strong companion Andrew Irvine failed to „conquer” the Everest. Mallory was found 1999 in an altitude of 8100 m. All that remains of Mallory is his freeze-dried body and the sentence that he would climb the Everest „because it’s there“.

Until Edmund Hillary (New Zealand) climbed the mountain together with his “Sirtar” (guide) Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953 a total of 12people had already died during their „conquest“.

Since then man expeditions ha be undertaken. Most prominent is the climb without the aid of oxygen by Reinhold Messner. With all the new and very good equipment it seems easier today than in former times to get up there. But be warned: This fierce mountain lost nothing of its danger – as regular reports of deadly attempts prove over and over again.

One small remark about Sir Edmund Hillary: after hi overwhelming success in 1953 he dedicated himself to collect donations in the whole world to build schools, hospitals and social facilities for the people of Nepal. Many public buildings carry his name for this work, not for the success of climbing a mountain.

Visiting Mount Everest is most likely high on the wish list of many Trekkers. Unfortunately it is not really advisable to choose this destination. Too many people! Too many boasters! The trail is filthy and the landscape is suffering badly from its popularity.

It is possible to see and admire it from other peaks. This giant, together with its smaller bothers Lothse (8510m) and Nuptse (7841m) will not diminished by viewing it from other vista points!