All in all, there are over 200 frozen bodies near the top of Everest. The bodies tend to be very well preserved because of the freezing cold weather at 28,000 feet. Most remain there because it would be impractical to try and remove them. Along with the dead bodies are empty oxygen bottles and campsite supplies, proving that once you die at Everest, you are camping there for eternity. Here’s a look at some unbelievable stories and facts about the fallen climbers of the world’s most famous mountain.
Top 10 Facts About Mount Everest :
- In 1856, the mountain was given it’s name after General George Everest. Ironically, George never saw the peak.
- The Indian mathematician Radhanath Sikdar was the first to put a figure on the height of the mountain. He calculated that it reached 29,002 feet (now adjusted to 29,035 feet), the highest point ever recorded on earth.
- The most dangerous area is considered to be the Khumbu Ice Fall, which is particularly scary due to the unpredictable movement of the ice fall.
- The highest death toll year on Everest was 1996. 15 climbers died in the season, including nine in a single incident. A close second was 2012, when 11 climbers lost their lives.
- Hundreds of mummified bodies are still atop the mountain.
- The first two men to snowboard down Everest were the Frenchman Marco Siffredi and Austrian Stefan Gatt in May 2001. In September 2002, Siffredi attempted to descend the mountain a second time. However, he chose the most hazardous route, and ended up disappearing part way through the descent.
- Bear Grylls became the youngest British climber to scale Everest in 1998, and was also the first man to fly higher than the top of the peak in a powered para-glider.
- Coincidentally, both the oldest man and woman to climb Everest are Japanese.
- A Sherpa shares the record for the longest stay on the summit. He was up there for a painful 21 hours.
- Another Sherpa holds the record for most successful climbs, recording 21.
- The first tweet ever sent from the summit, was by British climber Kenneth Cool in 2011.
- During some of the busiest weekends of the spring climbing season, there can be as many as 200 people atop the summit. This causes frequent “traffic jams.”
- Although most people make the climb in the late spring, early summer, some brave it during the winter months. The first winter ascent of Everest was in February 1980 by two Polish climbers, Leszka Cichy and Krzysztof Wielicki.
- One image of Everest went viral last year. It was made up of 477 individual photographs taken during the climbing season in spring 2012.
- The record by a British man for most successful climbs is eleven by Kenton Cool.
- While many have successfully made it back down the mountain, some people get trapped on the summit. One of the high helicopter rescues of all-time took place at over 28,000 feet.
- The reason for people having problems near the top? There is only one-third of the amount of oxygen you would collect at sea level.
- In most cases, it takes around 12 hours to climb from the final base camp to the summit.
- As if it isn’t tall enough, Everest grows by 4mm per year due to tectonic collisions. Gotta love nature.
- The youngest person to reach the summit is 13 year old Jordan Romero. In May 2010, he broke the record previously held by 15 year old Ming Kipa of Nepal.
- The oldest person to climb Everest is 80 year-old Yuichiro Miura of Japan. He accomplished this feat just a couple of years ago.
- Miura had also managed to ski down the side over 4,000 feet. Not when he was 80, this happened back in the 1970s. Still, quite a feat.
- Subsequently, The Man Who Skied Down Everest ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1975. The first sports movie to do so.
