The crown of  HIMALAYAS

Mount Everest, The Journey To The Peak

Stage1
Base Camp
Height 5400m

On the opposite sides of Mt Everest, there are two base camps ie, South Base Camp in Nepal at 5364 m and North Base Camp in Tibet at 5150 m. Among these two routes, the mountaineers decide to pick one in order to reach the top. Every mountaineer spends about 4-8 weeks in this region so that they can acclimatise to the altitude. At the same time, Sherpas (guide natives of the Himalayas) begin to set ropes and ladders in the next region ‘Icefall’.

Stage  2

Icefall

Height 5500-6100m

Challenging Camp
This is the most challenging step because, here, mountaineers could lose their life due to the constant shifting of ice blocks  as well as the formation of humongous ridges of ice on the surface of glaciers. Therefore, they begin their ascent early in the morning when the ice is frozen, because once the sun rises, the ice begins to melt rapidly and thus, shifting subsequently.

Stage  3

Camp1

Height 6100-6400m

Valley of Silence
Even though this is known as the ‘Valley of Silence’, the mountaineers can hear the shifting of glaciers, at night. This camp is prone to be hit by avalanches which is why it is usually set up at a place far away from cracks and crevasses. It is a temporary camp and the mountaineers do not stay here for more than a day or two.

Stage  4

Camp2

Height 6400-6800m

Advanced Base Camp(ABC)
At the foot of Lhotse Face of Mt Everest lies a broad, flat, gently undulating glacial valley basin ‘The Western Cwm’. This basin has  lateral crevasses in the center that hinder direct access to the upper valley . The mountaineers face maximum difficulty here because of the high altitude and windless days.

Stage 5

Camp3

Height 6800-8000m

Lhotse Wall
The area is called Lhotse wall. The camp is placed right out of the wall and is compared to an eagle’s nest. Here, the mountaineers start climbing inclined, hanging on ropes and changing carabiners. This camp is less on space, steep with no actual fixed position and is set up wherever there is some flat surface.

Stage 6

Camp4

Height 8100m

Death Zone
This one is the ‘Death zone’. It is like a plateau with the sky as dark as night, and even with supplemental oxygen, the mountaineers cannot stay at such a high altitude for long. At times, the not-so-bearable climate forces the mountaineers to descend all the way down to the base camp and start again.

Summit

Height 8848m

Finale
This is it. After crossing steep roads and troublesome zones, the mountaineers finally touch the mountain peak. However, they cannot spend more than half-an-hour on the summit as they must head down before the supplemental oxygen gets exhausted.