How high is Mount Everest?:

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world! At 8850m above sea level, it is the only part of the Earth to reach up into the Stratosphere. To put it into terms most people can imagine, it is as tall as 23 of the World Trade Centre towers stacked on top of each other, or 9 Table Mountains piled on top of each other. Its base occupies a piece of land half the size of the Kruger National Park. It takes about 12 weeks to climb because humans are not built to go that high so they go in stages to allow for their bodies to acclimatise.

Is it dangerous?
Everest, like all high altitude mountains, is dangerous. Several factors contribute to this mountain’s bad reputation. Avalanches, altitude sickness, violent storms with wind speeds of up 200km/h make Everest very difficult to climb. Since Everest was first climbed in 1953, she has claimed nearly 300 lives to date.

How cold is it going to be?
Cold enough to make a penguin shiver! Temperatures on the summit have never peaked above 0C and temperatures as low as -76C have been recorded. That is a lot colder than most people can understand. That is why people use such specialised equipment to survive in these savage conditions. People have lost fingers, noses and toes to frostbite after just minutes of exposure to the frigid air on the mountain.

How do people go tinkle on the mountain?
Quickly! Remembering that frostbite attacks the extremities first, so make it fast. Most mountaineering suits and harnesses have special built in flaps to answer nature’s call.

What is the Death Zone?
Any altitude above 7500 metres high is considered the Death Zone. At this height, the body is unable to regenerate and fatigue and physical strain are very difficult to recover from. Hollywood has turned the Death Zone into a cold version of hell with people wheezing and gasping for breath, unable to move faster than a snail’s pace…for once they have smacked the nail right on the head.

Why can’t you just take a helicopter to the top?

If someone was to be transported to the top of Everest without having acclimatised properly, they would fall into a coma within minutes and die shortly after that. The body generates red blood cells to transport oxygen around the body using hemoglobin. With altitude, air is thinner (less dense) and so the body maximises its oxygen absorption capability to keep itself functional.

Are there dead bodies all over the place on the mountain?

Sadly there are. There are approximately 200 bodies still on Everest but most of them have been placed in crevasses or stacked with rocks to preserve the dignity of the late climber. It also requires a lot of effort and unnecessary time in the Death Zone to move a body and as harsh as it sounds, it would be endangering additional lives to move someone down. With temperatures well below 0C constantly, these bodies are perfectly preserved and pose no health risk at all.