MOUNT EVEREST
At an elevation of 29,028 feet (8848 meters) above sea level, Mount
Everest is the world’s tallest mountain. Mount Everest is relatively
young, having been formed only 60 million years ago, and it is still
growing a few millimeters every year!
Mount Everest is in the mountain range called the Himalayas. The
summit ridge of Mount Everest separates Nepal and Tibet. Each
place has a special name for this giant mountain. The Nepalese
name is Sagarmatha, which means “goddess of the sky”. The Tibetan
name is Chomolungma, which means “mother goddess of the
universe”. In English, Mount Everest is named after Sir George
Everest, the first person to record the height and location of the
mountain.
A climb to the summit was attempted by George Mallory in 1922, who
famously gave his reason for wanting to climb Everest as “because
it’s there.” He attempted to reach the summit again in the company of
Andrew Irvine in 1924, but on this trip both climbers disappeared.
The first successful ascent (and descent) of Mount Everest was
accomplished by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on May
29th, 1953. The first ascent by a woman was on May 16th, 1975, by
Junko Tabei from Japan.
Between 1921 and 2007, over two thousand people have climbed
Mount Everest, some more than once. Since the first ascent in 1953,
more than 600 climbers from 20 different countries have reached the
summit. However, over two hundred climbers have died attempting to
climb Mount Everest, most commonly from avalanches, but also from
falls in crevasses, cold, or high-altitude sicknesses.
Name ________________________ Date _____________________
Choose the best answer for each question on this page
1. How high is Mount Everest?
a) 8848 feet
b) 29,028 meters
c) 29,028 feet
d) 8848 meters
2. In what way does Mount Everest change annually?
a) It is shrinking a very small amount.
b) It is getting a little wider.
c) It is shifting slightly to the north.
d) It is growing a very small amount taller.
3. Mount Everest is in the mountain range called the ________.
a) Rocky Mountains
b) Andes
c) Himalayas
d) Alps
4. Who wanted to climb Mount Everest “because it’s there”?
a) George Mallory
b) Edmund Hillary
c) Tenzing Norgay
d) Junko Tabei
5. The first team to successfully reach the summit was _________.
a) George Mallory and Andrew Irvine
b) Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
c) George Mallory and Edmund Hillary
d) Tenzing Norgay and Andrew Irvine
6. Since 1953, how many people have reached the summit?
a) about 20
b) fewer than 600
c) exactly 600
d) more than 600
Name ________________________ Date _____________________
Write complete sentences to answer the questions below.
1. Imagine being the first person to climb to the top of Mt. Everest.
Describe.
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2. Tell how George Mallory trying to climb Mt. Everest “because
it’s there” reminds you of an experience you have had.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
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3. After reading the story what do you think is meant by
crevasses?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
4. What did you learn about Mt. Everest that you did not know?
How will you use that new information?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
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Name ________________________ Date _____________________
Answers to Mount Everest
Multiple-choice
1. c
2. d
3. c
4. a
5. b
6. d
Short-answer
1.
(Answers may vary, accept reasonable answers.)
2.
(Answers may vary, accept reasonable answers.)
3.
Crevass = large, deep crack in the upper surface of a glacier
4.
(Answers may vary, accept reasonable answers.)
WORKSHEET
The summit of
Mount Everest is
8850m (29,035 ft).
At these heights
some people get
sick and even die.
As mountaineers
climb the mountain
they certainly feel
the affects of the
changes in the
atmosphere. When
trekkers first started
going to Mount
Everest, about one
in every 50 died.
Above 3000m is
called the Death
Zone.
THE DEATH ZONE
Summit
8850 m
Mount
Everest
facts:
South Summit
8763 m
● It is the
highest
mountain in
the world at
8850m
(29035 ft).
Western Ridge
7254 m
● It’s peak is
just below
the
cruising
height of a
jet.
● Mount
Everest is in
the central
Himalaya on
the border
between
Tibet and
Nepal.
Khumbu
Glacier
4926 m
Task 1
If the temperature falls by 10 o C every 1000m you climb, what
would you expect the temperature to be at the locations listed
below?
Vocabulary
Fill in the table with your answers:
Khumbu glacier
Western ridge
South summit
Summit
Height (metres)
Estimated
temperature (o C)
4926
-15 o C
Troposphere is
the layer of
atmosphere
next to the
Earth’s
surface It is
about 7-8 km
thick and is
where most of
the weather
activity affecting human life
takes place.
In this layer,
the temperature falls with
height.
WORKSHEET
THE DEATH ZONE
Climbers have to take precautions to guard
themselves against the extremely low temperatures.
Without proper equipment or poor planning,
frostbite is an ever present threat.
What precautions could you take to prevent
you from getting frostbite?
Sherpa with badly
frostbitten
fingers .
Task 2
8500
7500
6500
5500
4500
Khumbu glacier
250
3500
As you go further up a
mountain, the atmospheric pressure drops.
Using the graph,
estimate what the air
pressure would be at
various points up
Mount Everest, and fill
in the table.
P 650
r
e 550
s
s
u 450
r
e
, 350
m
b
Altitude, metres
Height (metres)
Estimated pressure
(millibars)
4926
530
Fact:
● At 2,500m
many
climbers have
headaches,
loss of
appetite and
nausea.
Why?
Because as
available
oxygen falls,
the body
responds by
increasing
the blood
flow to the
brain, but it
can overcompensate and
fluid leaks
from blood
vessels
causing the
brain to
swell. This is
Acute
Mountain
Sickness.
If it goes
untreated it
can be fatal.
Western ridge
South summit
Vocabulary
Summit
How do you think low atmospheric pressures
might affect a climber’s breathing?
Primitive oxygen
equipment, 1936
Atmospheric
pressure is the
pressure
exerted by the
weight of the
atmosphere on
the earth. The
atmospheric
pressure
determines how
much air is
‘pushed’ into
your lungs with
each breath. It
is
measured
in millibars.
WORKSHEET
THE DEATH ZONE
Task 3
The ‘Khumbu cough’ is a common complaint among Mount Everest
climbers. It is a persistent dry cough which can be so bad that it
can result in broken ribs! It is caused by the cold dry air on the
mountain.
Why do you think the air is very dry (unsaturated) high up
on the mountain? Where has all the moisture in the air
gone? Clue: go back to task 1 and look at the temperatures.
Task 4
What kind of precipitation would you expect
to experience if you were climbing Mount
Everest?
The average albedo on Earth is 30% but it can
increase to up to 90% on the slopes of Everest.
Why do you think this is?
A Sherpa on Mount
Everest wearing homemade
goggles
What affects do you think the high albedo has
on Mount Everest climbers?
Girl using her hair to
shield her eyes.
Vocabulary
The albedo is
the ratio of
solar radiation
falling on the
surface of the
Earth compared
to the amount
reflected from
it.
Precipitation
means all forms
of water which
falls to the
ground. It take
many forms, for
example, rain,
dew, hail and
snow.
Mount Everest
Read the sentences below. Visit the page Mount Everest to find the missing words.
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5.
George Mallory and Andrew __________ may have reached the summit first in 1924.
The highest mountains in the United States are found in __________, California, __________ and Washington.
The first people to reach the top were probably Edmund Hillary and Tenzing __________ on May 29, 1953.
Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain peak in the __________ is twice as high as these mountain peaks at 29,028 feet.
The trash left behind by climbers on Mt. Everest is a huge problem. Empty oxygen bottles, torn tents, food containers,
broken equipment and poop litter the __________.
6. Over 4,000 __________ have attempted to climb Mt. Everest but only 660 have succeeded.
7. Why is Mt. Everest so dangerous? __________, freezing temperatures, __________, altitude sickness and low
__________.
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Name _______________________________________________ Date ______________________
Everest History Time Line
Write dates for each event in time order from left to right. Add details along the line.
Climbing Everest: A Timeline 1841 Sir George Everest, surveyor of India, records Everest's location, labeling it Peak XV. 1859 Peak XV is renamed Mount Everest. 1924 George Mallory and Andrew Irving disappear as they attempt to summit Everest. 1934 Maurice Wilson attempts to solo Everest. His body is later found at 21, 327 feet. 1953 Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary become the first to summit Everest. 1973 Shambu Tamang of Nepal summits at 16 years old. Later he was said to be 18. 1975 Junko Tabei of Japan becomes the first woman to summit. 1978 Austria's Peter Habeler and Italy's Reinhold Messner are make the first ascent without bottled oxygen. 1990 Sir Edmund Hillary's son, Peter, summits Everest. 1999 George Mallory's body is located 2,000 feet below the summit. 1999 Scientists revise Everest's elevation by seven feet, from 29,028 feet to 29,035 feet. 2001 American Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to summit Everest. 1852
1865
1920
1921
1922
1924
1952
1953
1955
1963
1975
The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India establishes that "Peak XV" in the Himalayas is the
highest mountain in the world.
Called Chomolungma in Tibet and Sagarmatha in Nepal, the world's highest mountain is named
after Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor General from 1830-1843.
The 13th Dalai Lama opens Tibet to foreigners. British reconnaissance party
leaves Darjeeling to explore a route to Mt. Everest from the Tibetan side.
First attempt to climb Mt. Everest made by a British team which included George Mallory.
The first recorded deaths on Everest occur when seven Sherpa porters, part of a British
expedition, die in an avalanche.
George Mallory, 38, and Andrew Irvine, 22, disappear on their way to the summit. They were
last spotted by a member of the expedition, who reported they "were going strong for the top."
Whether they reached the summit remains a mystery.
Swiss climber Raymond Lambert and renowned Sherpa climber Tenzing Norgay almost make it
to the South Summit before turning back.
First summit of Everest accomplished by Edmund Hillary, New Zealand, for the British
Commonwealth, and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa from India. Neither will ever acknowledge which
of them was technically the first.
The height of Mt. Everest is adjusted by 26 feet to 29,028 feet (8,848 m) from the original
measurements of the 1852 Great Trigonometrical Survey of India.
The first American, James Whittaker, summits Everest.
Junko Tabei (Japan) becomes the first woman to summit.
1978
1980
1996
1999
Reinhold Messner (Italy) and Peter Habeler (Austria) make the first ascent without supplemental
oxygen.
Reinhold Messner makes the first solo ascent of Everest (also without supplemental oxygen).
15 climbers died on Everest — the most casualties in a single year.
George Mallory's body is found by a search expedition at 27,000 feet. Searchers had hoped to
find a camera that might contain photos of Mallory and Irvine on the summit or some other proof
that they were the first to summit Everest, but no evidence is found. On May 5 a team of nine
made satellite observations at the summit of Everest.
On Nov. 11, the revised official elevation of Everest is announced by the National Geographic
Society to be 29,035 feet (8,850 meters).
2000
2001
2003
2006
142 climbers make it to the summit—the most ever in a single year.
American Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach Everest's top.
At 70, Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura becomes the oldest person ever to reach Everest's
summit, and a 15-year-old Sherpa girl, Ming Kipa, becomes the youngest.
Appa Sherpa climbs Everest for the 16th time, breaking his own record for being the person who
has climbed Everest the most. He first summited in 1989.
Takao Arayama displaces Yuichiro Miura's record and becomes the oldest Everest climber at 70
years, 7 months, and 13 days. Miura was 70 years, 7 months, and 10 days.
2007
The first cellphone call is made from the top of Everest by Rod Baber, a British climber. "It's
cold, it's fantastic, and the Himalayas are everywhere," he said in the call.
Katsusuke Yanagisawa, 71, becomes the oldest person to scale Everest, beating the previous
record set by Takao Arayama, 70, in 2006. He is the third Japanese in recent years to set a
record as the oldest Everest climber.
Clare O'Leary becomes the first Irishwoman to summit Everest and Pat Falvey becomes the first
Irishman to summit from both the Nepalese and Tibetan sides.
2008
On May 8, the Olympic torch was carried by climbers to the “roof of the world,“ reaching the
29,035 foot summit of Mount Everest at 0920 local time. During the ascent, Tibetan women
were the first and last to carry the torch.
On May 22, Apa, a veteran Sherpa guide, climbed to the top of Mount Everest for the 18th time
at age 47, beating his own record for the most summits of the world's tallest mountain.
Nepali national Min Bahadur Sherchan, 76, became the oldest person to summit Everest on
May 25.
2009
2011
2012
2013
The May 2009 climbing season witnessed the 19th successful trip for Apa Sherpa as a member
of the Eco Everest Expedition, while Dave Hahn of Taos, New Mexico reached a milestone
when he summited for the 11th time, the most for a non-Sherpa.
Apa Sherpa again broke his own world record and reached the summit of Mt. Everest for the
21st time on 11 May 2011.
Japan's Tamae Watanabe, 73, became the oldest woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest on
May 19, 2012. She successfully climbed Everest in 2002 at age 63.
The estimated 600 summits in the spring of 2013 brought the total estimated summits to 6,800.
On May 23, Japanese Miura Yiuchiro became the oldest person to summit at age 80.
2014
2015
2016
Sixteen Sherpa guides die in an avalanche in April. They were fixing ropes for climbers at an
elevation of 19,000 feet when the avalanche hit. It is the single most deadly accident on Everest.
After the incident, dozens of Sherpa guides walked off the job in protest over the Nepalese
government's response to the tragedy.
On April 25, 2015, at least 22 people die and dozens are injured in an avalanche triggered by a
magnitude-7.8 earthquake in central Nepal. It is the deadliest avalanche ever recorded on
Mount Everest and devastates the country—killing 8,500 nationwide. For the first time in 41
years, there are no summits.
The climbers are back on the mountain, including two Iraq war veterans who lost right legs to
roadside bombs, hoping to become the first combat amputees to reach the top of Mount
Everest.
According to Everest statistics compiler Alan Arnette, it currently costs an average $45,000 to
climb Everest, but depending on customization and route choices, the price tag can be as high
as $85,000.
“Everest- The Death Zone”
1.
In miles, approximately how high is Mt. Everest?
2.
In general, how does hypoxia affect brain function?
3.
For every 6 successful summits on Everest, how many people will die?
4.
How high is Mt. Everest base camp and how long does it typically take
to ascend to it?
5.
What is an important factor that determines who will do well on Everest and why?
6.
At sea level what is the percent saturation of blood with oxygen?
7.
How does the percent saturation of blood with oxygen, heart rate, and breathing
change when going to high altitude?
8.
What are early warning signs of acute mountain sickness?
9.
What are more major/severe warning signs of acute mountain sickness?
10. What happens with high altitude pulmonary edema?
11. At what altitude does the body start to deteriorate and what are some of the basic
ways in which the body deteriorates?
12. At what altitude is known as the “Death Zone” due to the rapid deterioration of the
body?
13. What conditions of the climber prior to the final ascent makes it amazing that the
climber can reach the summit of Mt. Everest?
14. What happens to resting as well as exercise heart rates as you go higher and
higher in elevation and how does this affect human performance?
15. Does acute high altitude affect brain size and brain functioning? How?
Entitled “Everest- The Death Zone”
1.
In miles, approximately how high is Mt. Everest?
Approximately 5.5 miles or 29,028 feet or 8,848 meters
2.
In general, how does hypoxia affect brain function?
Decreased PO2 and CaO2 at altitude decreases cognitive functioning,
slows speach and increases slurring of words, slows reaction time, impairs
judgment, increases hallucinations, and decreases brain size due to
brain cell
death
3.
For every 6 successful summits on Everest, how many people will die?
One
4.
How high is Mt. Everest base camp and how long does it typically take
to ascend to it?
17,600 feet; 10 days
5.
What is an important factor that determines who will do well on Everest and why?
Lung capacity; larger lungs can move more air into the lungs and more hence
oxygen into the blood
6.
At sea level what is the percent saturation of blood with oxygen?
Approximately or close to 100%
7.
How does the percent saturation of blood with oxygen, heart rate, and breathing
change when going to high altitude?
Decreased PaO2; increased heart rate, ventilation rate, and breathing rate
(i.e., respiratory rate)
8.
What are early warning signs of acute mountain sickness?
9.
Headaches, dizziness, trouble sleeping, and lack of appetite
What are more major/severe warning signs of acute mountain sickness?
Severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty with balance and
coordination
10. What happens with high altitude pulmonary edema?
Blood vessels in lungs leak fluids into lungs and the alveoli fill with fluid
decreasing PAO2 and SaO2, which can lead to the coughing of pink sputum and
possibly death
11. At what altitude does the body start to deteriorate and what are some of the basic
ways in which the body deteriorates?
17,000 feet; muscle wasting and decreased body weight as the body consumes
itself for energy
12. At what altitude is known as the “Death Zone” due to the rapid deterioration of the
body?
26,000 feet as the body cannot acclimatize to this altitude
13. What conditions of the climber prior to the final ascent makes it amazing that the
climber can reach the summit of Mt. Everest?
Lack of sleep, food and water; difficulty breathing due to dry membranes
and coughing; headaches and sore throat; take a lot will to keep going
14. What happens to resting as well as exercise heart rates as you go higher and
higher in elevation and how does this affect human performance?
Increased resting and exercise heart rates bring them closer to maximal
rate, which may possibly decrease at high altitude
15. Does acute high altitude affect brain size and brain functioning? How?
Mild atrophy of the brain and decreased brain functioning
heart
Teachers Notes - Activities
The following activities are suggestions on how the resources can be used
in the classroom - they can be used as part of a scheme of work or as
one-off lessons.
Key question
Where is Mount Everest?
Resources
 Factsheet: Where is Mount Everest?
 The online image gallery
Activity One
Locate the world’s major mountain ranges on an outline world map using
a selection of atlases, internet maps. Annotate and label fully. Ask the
students to use an atlas or globe to locate the Himalayas.
Activity Two
Produce a fact file about Nepal – in an accessible and understandable way
using information from Where is Everest Factsheet. Find similar facts
about the UK from the internet and compare the two countries in the form
of a table. Make a concluding comment about the similarities and
differences.
Key question
What is the mountain environment of Everest like?
Resources
 Factsheet: The Making of Mount Everest
Activity One
Look at a selection of images of Mt Everest from the gallery and give
words that describe the landscape.
Draw an outline of a mountain or mountain range. Inside and around it,
write words associated to the environment – use emotive as well as
descriptive words.
Activity Two
Use selected information from The Making of Mount Everest Factsheet and
animated web-site to explain fundamentals of plate tectonics –
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/earth/birth.html
In simple, diagrammatic form, explain how the Himalayas were formed
and use this to explain why you might be able to find the remains of
millions of years old marine animals and plants.
Key question
How does the climate in the Himalayas compare to the climate in the UK?
Resources
 The online image gallery
Activity One
Brainstorm perception of the weather in the Himalaya region- look at
photos and video clips to get visual impression of different weather
systems.
Draw up a table to show the differences between the weather and climate
in the UK and in the Himalayas.
Activity Two
Access weather data from the Met Office web-site and using Excel, draw
up graphs to show the differences between temperature in the Himalayas
and local area in UK http://www.met-office.gov.uk/
Write a concluding statement about the differences in the weather and
state where it would be easier to live and why.
Activity Three
Empathetic writing – imagine being caught in a blizzard – write about
what it would feel like – how would you escape – what your feelings would
be like. The students could do this by annotating appropriate images or
drawing in captioned form.
Key question
How has the weather affected the lives of the people who live in the area
and what effect does it have on tourism?
Resources
 Factsheet: Who Lives in the Everest region?
 Activity sheet: The Death Zone
 The online image gallery
Activity One
Find out about the people living in the area – read through the
information Who lives in the Everest region? factsheet and look at the
images in the gallery.
Discuss why the IPPG was set up and write about why it is important and
how it helps the porters.
Sketch a typical scene and annotate it to show how the buildings, clothes
and resources have been adapted to suit the local conditions.
Activity Two
Consider how the weather affects the tourists to the area – only coming at
certain times of year and the equipment and clothing that they have to
bring in order to survive. Watch the video-clips of Food and Drink and
Climbing and Breathing at 20,000 feet.
Work through Activity Sheet The Death Zone.
Using websites, produce a detailed list of equipment that would be
required by a climber attempting to climb Mt Everest – illustrate with
images where appropriate.
Key question
How can we plan a successful ascent of Mt Everest?
Resources
Factsheet: Reaching the Top
Activity sheet: Climbing Mt Everest
Activity One
Read the account of the first successful ascent of Everest, Reaching the
Top factsheet. Produce a front page newspaper article announcing and
describing the great event.
Activity Two
A decision making workshop in which children plan an expedition using
the Society’s Everest materials. Children adopt different roles of the
expedition team members and decide whether or not to climb Mt Everest.
Enables the children to research climate, effects of altitude and impact on
the local environment using web based research. They are also able to
compare modern and past equipment using the Society’s artefacts.
If unable to attend workshop in London, the role playing activity cards
from the Downloadable Activity Sheet may be effectively used in school.
An extensive list of suitable web-sites to research the information may be
found at the end of the Activity Sheet.
Children need to be working in groups of six to plan their own expedition.
Give out the role play cares. There are six roles with different
responsibilities: leader, lead Sherpa, doctor, reporter/photographer and
two climbers. Brainstorm the risks that the teams ace in planning an
expedition including climate, altitude, health and safety considerations.
Discuss what precautions can be taken to minimise the risks.
The children can use the internet to do their research and answer the
questions on their role play cards. They may also use the image gallery
and video clips showing some of the early expeditions. They may also use
the appropriate factsheet, Who lives in the Everest region?
Groups may then present their plan to the rest of the class and it can be
assessed by the teacher and the rest of the class considering:
 Has the group carried out sufficient research?
 Have all possible risks been considered and dealt with?
 Should they be given funding to carry out research?
Key question
ti
How has the environment been changed/affected by exploration and
tourism?
Resources
Factsheet: Tourism in the Everest region
Activity Sheet: The Impact of Tourism activity
Managing the Mount Everest region
Activity One
Use the Tourism in the Everest region factsheet to find information on the
good and bad effects of tourism. Using the activity sheet, ask the
students to cut and paste the facts into the correct place on the table. Ask
the students to vote whether they think tourism is good or bad.
A further activity can be a role play of the different interest groups.
Groups can research the background to their situation and stance using
the factsheets Who lives in the Everest region and Tourism in the Everest
region
Use the Activity Sheet Managing the Mount Everest region to structure the
activities.