Trip Facts

• Country / Location: Kathmandu Tibet, China Airport / Nepal/Tibet border, 30 km west of Everest
• First Ascent / Highest access: May 29, 1953 Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay Sherpa / 8,848M/29,029ft.
• Departure From / Duration: Kathmandu (KTM) / 43  Days Kathmandu-Tibet-Kathmandu back to Hometown.
• Grade / Coordinates: Challenging / 27°59'17'' N / 86°55'31'' E
• Accommodation / Meals: 3* to 5* as per client's request BB in Kathmandu & B, L, D during trekking and climbing
• Transportation: Car, Jeep, Mini Bus as per group size.
• Major Activity: Climbing
• Include side Activity: Sights tour of Kathmandu, Nylam and Tingri
• Mode of Travel / Culture: Long along the trail / Camping / Tibetan / Sherpa
• Climbing route / Himalayan sights: Northeast Ridge / Lhotse, Makalu, Ama Dablam, Cho-Oyu
• Attractions: Highest point on earth. Outstanding, adventurous and yet daring expedition.
• Group Size: 02-10 People per group
• Best season: Spring season(April/May)
• Climbing Ratio: 1+1 (1 Member 1 Climbing Sherpa Guide)

The Everest North Expedition, which approaches the summit from the north side in Tibet, involves a series of camps strategically placed to help climbers acclimate to the high altitude and progressively make their way to the summit. Here are the typical camps used in this expedition:

Base Camp (Tibet)

• Altitude: 5,150 meters (16,900 feet)
• Location: Located at the Rongbuk Glacier.
• Facilities: The camp provides a starting point for the expedition with basic facilities for climbers to rest and acclimatize. Tents, cooking facilities, and communication equipment are typically set up here.

Interim Camp

• Altitude: 5,800 meters (19,028 feet)
• Location: Situated between Base Camp and Advanced Base Camp.
• Facilities: A resting spot where climbers can pause and acclimate before heading to the higher camps.

Advanced Base Camp (ABC)

• Altitude: 6,400 meters (21,000 feet)
• Location: Located on the East Rongbuk Glacier.
• Facilities: A more permanent setup compared to the lower camps, with larger tents and more facilities to support the climbers during their prolonged stay at high altitudes.

Camp 1 (North Col)

• Altitude: 7,000 meters (23,000 feet)
• Location: Positioned on the North Col.
• Facilities: Basic tents are set up here. Climbers often spend a night or two to acclimatize to the higher altitude.

Camp 2

• Altitude: 7,500 meters (24,600 feet)
• Location: Situated above the North Col.
• Facilities: Simple tents are used for resting. This camp is essential for acclimatization before moving higher.

Camp 3

• Altitude: 8,300 meters (27,200 feet)
• Location: Located on the North Face.
• Facilities: The final camp before the summit push, is equipped with minimal facilities to allow for a brief rest before attempting the summit.

Summit

• Altitude: 8,848 meters (29,029 feet)
• Description: The highest point on Earth, reached after a challenging ascent from Camp 3. Climbers typically start their summit push at night to reach the summit by morning and descend back to lower camps the same day.

Key Points

• Acclimatization: Essential at each stage to prevent altitude sickness.
• Weather Conditions: Can change rapidly; climbers must be prepared for extreme cold and wind.
• Climbing Period: Typically from April to May, during the pre-monsoon period, which offers the most stable weather conditions.

Geography

• Everest is 29,035 feet or 8848 meters high and It is over 60 million years old.
• The summit is the border of Nepal to the south and China or Tibet on the north
• Everest was formed by the movement of the Indian tectonic plate pushing up and against the Asian plate
• Everest grows by about a quarter of an inch (0.25") every year
• It consists of different types of shale, limestone and marble
• The rocky summit is covered with deep snow all year long

Weather

• The Jet Stream sits on top of Everest almost all year long
• The wind can blow over 220 mph
• The temperature can be -80 to -90F
• In mid-May each year, the jet stream moves north causing the winds to calm and temperatures to warm enough for people to try to summit. This is called the 'summit window'. There is a similar period each fall in November.
• It can also be very hot with temperatures over 100F in the Western Cwm, an area climbers go through to reach the summit.

History

• Everest is called Chomolungma by the Tibetan people. It means mother goddess of the universe
• It was first identified for the Western world by a British survey team lead by Sir George Everest in 1841
• Everest was named Sagarmatha by the Nepal Government. It means goddess of the sky
• Everest was first named Peak 15 and measured at 29,002 feet in 1856
• In 1865, it was named Mount Everest, after Sir George Everest
• In 1955, the height was adjusted to 29,028 feet, and is still used by Nepal
• China uses 29,015 feet as the official height today
• Using GPS technology, the summit was measured at 29,035 feet or 8850 meters in 1999
• Nepal started to remeasure Everest in 2019 due to the 2015 earthquake and will be finished by 2020

Summits - updated December 2018

Early Attempts and Summits

• The first attempt was in 1921 by a British expedition from the north (Tibet) side
• The first summit was on May 29, 1953, by Sir Edmund Hillary (New Zealand) and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa (Nepal). They climbed from the south side on a British expedition lead by Colonel John Hunt.
• The first north side summit was on May 25, 1960, by Nawang Gombu (Tibetan) and Chinese climbers Chu Yin-Hau and Wang Fu-zhou
• The youngest person to summit was American Jordan Romero, age 13 years 11 months, on May 23, 2010, from the north side.
• The oldest person to summit was Japanese Miura Yiuchiro, age 80 on May 23, 2013
• The first climbers to summit Everest without bottled oxygen were Italian Reinhold Messner and Peter Habler in 1978
• Reinhold Messner is the only person to have truly summited Everest solo and without supplemental oxygen. He did it in 1980 from the Tibet side via the Great Couloir

Male Summits/Female Summits

• The youngest male to the summit was American Jordan Romero, age 13 years 10 months, on May 23, 2010, from the north side.
• The oldest male to the summit was Japanese Miura Yiuchiro, age 80 on May 23, 2013
• Kami Rita (Topke) Sherpa (Thami) holds the record for most summits (male or female) with 22, the most recent one in 2018 by Kami Rita.
• Apa Sherpa (Thami Og), and Phurba Tashi Sherpa (Khumjung) are next with 21 summits each. Both are now retired.
• American Dave Hahn has the most non-Sherpa summits with 15, the most recent in 2013

• The first woman to summit Everest was Junko Tabei of Japan in 1975
• The oldest woman to summit was Japanese Tamae Watanabe, age 73, in 2012 from the north
• The youngest woman to summit was Indian Malavath Poorna, 13 years 11 months on May 25, 2014 from the north side
• 548 women have summited through January 2019
• Nepali, Lakpa Sherpani holds the women's summit record with eight (1 South, 7 north)

Summit Statistics

• There have been 9,159 summits of Everest through December 2018, on all routes by 5,294 different people.
• 1,211 people, mostly Sherpa, have summited multiple times
• The Nepal side is more popular with 5,888 summits compared to 3,271 summits from the Tibet side
• 211 climbers summited without supplemental oxygen through January 2019, about 2.3%
• 34 climbers have traversed from one side to the other.
• 582 climbers have summited from both Nepal and Tibet
• 107 climbers have summited more than once in a single season

Trivia

• Babu Chiri Sherpa spent the night on the summit in 1999
• Kami Rita Sherpa holds the record for most summits with 22, the most recent one in 2018
• Over 33,000 feet of fixed rope is used each year to set the South Col route
• You have to be at least 16 to climb Everest from the south side and 18 from the north
• Climbers burn over 10,000 calories each day, double that on the summit climb
• Climbers will lose 10 to 20 lbs during the expedition

Trip Highlights

Everest Northeast Route Camps.: The North Everest Base Camp: 5,150 meters (16,700 ft) latitude of 28°8′29″N and longitude of 86°51′5″E.: Located on a gravel area 8 kilometers above Rongbuk Monastery, this is the end of the road. All vehicle-assisted evacuations start here and there are no helicopter evacuations possible in Tibet. Everest Base Camp is a term that is used to describe two base camps on opposite sides of Mount Everest. These camps are rudimentary campsites that are used by mountain climbers during their ascent and descent. To reduce the risks and severity of altitude sickness climbers typically rest at base camp for several days for acclimatization.

Camp: 6,100 meters (20,300 feet)– 6-7 hours.: No more than a resting place for the night where a few tents are already placed by Xtreme Climbers Climbing Sherpa Team. Most climbers only stop here ascending to the advance camp from base camp.  The intermediate camp is used on the first trek to ABC during the acclimatization process. This area can be lightly snow-covered, or without snow at all depending on the weather. When descending you can walk from ABC to BC in about 5-6 hours.

Advanced Base Camp (ABC): 6,485 meters (21,276 feet)– 6 hours.: Everest North side ABC (Worlds one of the highest advanced base camps)  Offers stunning views of the North Col. This position makes it shorter and easier for climbers to reach camps I, II, and III from the advanced base camp. Most of the climbing teams will use ABC as their primary camp during the acclimatization period, but due to its altitude, some climbers may need to descend to the intermediate camp to acclimate.

Camp I (North Col): 7,000 meters (23,000 feet)– 5- 6 hours.: Located just above the East Rongbuk Glacier  Generally climbers will spend 4-5 nights at Camp I during the expedition. upon reaching the glacier most of the climbers use crampons. Within an hour of starting the ascent on the glacier, climbers will begin to utilize a fixed line and cross ladders that are placed over deep crevasses. In some areas, the use of an ascender on the fixed rope will be very helpful. Rappelling or arm-wrapping techniques are used to descend the steeper areas of this section.

Camp II: 7,500 meters (24,750 feet) – 5 hours.: Route to Camp II consists of a steep and snowy ridge that eventually turns to rock. During this section high winds are sometimes a problem making it especially cold. The wind and air pressure is usually higher on the north face side versus the south side. Some expeditions use Camp II as their highest camp for acclimatization purposes before beginning the summit push.

Camp III: 8,250 meters (27,390 feet)– 6 hours.: Camp III on the north side is 350 meters higher than the South Col and much more exposed. Located along the steep area of the mountain that runs from 8,250-8,350 m. There are a few small areas in this location to set up camp III and different expeditions will select different areas in the same general area. This area is steep, rocky and exposed and tents are perched on rock ledges and generally battered by the wind. Most teams use this high camp as the last rest spot before the summit bid.

Summit: 8,850 meters (29,029 feet) 9-13 hours.: Camp III to the summit is a real longest and hardest day of the entire expedition period. Climbers use a fixed rope through a snow-filled gully (Part of the Yellow Band) From the Yellow Band, the climbers change their oxygen cylinder and take a small ramp up to the northeast ridge. The route veers to the right of the high point and most climbers rate it as steep and challenging. From the Mushroom Rock, located at 8,600 meters, the route can be full of loose rock adding to the difficulty. The next part of the climb is the Second Step, which is the crux of the climb, as climbers use the Chinese Ladder. Climbers first ascend a 10-foot rock slab and then climb the near-vertical 30-foot ladder. This section is very exposed with a 9,000-foot vertical drop. Generally, it is more difficult to navigate on the descent since you cannot see your foot placement on the ladder rungs. Strong climbers take 8 to 10 hours to reach the summit and return to Camp III, while more moderate and less experienced climbers take 12-14 hours. Most climbers use 3-4 bottles of oxygen during the summit push and another bottle between camps II and III.