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Expedition grade and 8,000m+ equipment is essential on Mount Everest. Just as important is that all gear has been tried and tested by the climber, and that they are familiar with each piece of equipment. Here's our gear list of what you’ll need on Everest.
- Mount Everest Statistics
Kami Rita Sherpa has reached the summit of Mount Everest...
- Full List of Mount Everest Climbers
Full List of Mount Everest Climbers. As of December 2023:...
- Cost of Climbing Mount Everest
The cost to climb Mount Everest in 2021 ranges from...
- Mount Everest Statistics
- Overview
- Where is Everest—and how old is it?
- What are the hazards of climbing Everest?
- How many routes are there to the top?
- How crowded is Everest?
- Who are Everest's guides?
- How long is an expedition?
- How dangerous is it?
- What’s the summit like?
- Is there anything left to explore on Everest?
Find out all you need to know about climbing Mount Everest, from its geology to the cost of climbing the notorious peak.
In the years since human beings first reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, climbing the world’s highest mountain has changed dramatically. Today, hundreds of mountaineers manage the feat each year thanks to improvements in knowledge, technology, and the significant infrastructure provided by commercially guided expeditions that provide a veritable highway up the mountain for those willing to accept both the risks and a hefty price tag.
Mount Everest—known in Nepali as Sagarmatha and Tibetan as Chomolungma—straddles the border between Nepal and Tibet at the crest of the Himalayan mountain chain. Although reaching the top of the world is an arduous and potentially deadly undertaking due to the extreme altitude, avalanches, icefalls, and other hazards, the mountain lies quite close to the equator, at a latitude of approximately 28 degrees, the same as Tampa, Florida.
Earth scientists estimate that Everest is 50 to 60 million years old, a youngster by geological standards. The mountain was formed by the upward force generated when the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collided, pushing up the rocks that formed the highest mountain on Earth. That force is still at work today, pushing Everest’s summit about a quarter of an inch higher each year. (Learn more about how mountains are formed.)
At 29,032 feet, Everest’s summit has approximately one-third the air pressure that exists at sea level, which significantly reduces a climber's ability to breathe in enough oxygen. Because of this, scientists have determined that the human body is not capable of remaining indefinitely above 19,000 feet.
As climbers move higher up the mountain and their oxygen intake is reduced, their bodies are increasingly at risk for a number of ailments, including pulmonary edema, cerebral edema, and blood embolisms. The chances of frostbite are also dramatically increased at such altitude as the heart works harder to pump blood around the body delivering oxygen. The life-giving organs are first priority; digits are last.
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The vast majority of climbers ascending Everest use tanks of oxygen to reduce the effects of the extreme altitude. However, bottled oxygen has its own drawbacks and risks. For starters, it’s expensive, heavy to carry, and empty cylinders are frequently abandoned as litter.
Although 17 different routes have been pioneered to the summit of Everest, almost everyone climbs it via one of two routes. From Nepal there’s the Southeast Ridge, the line created by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hilary in 1953. From Tibet, there’s the North Ridge, where George Mallory disappeared in 1924 long before a Chinese team finally completed the climb in 1960.
Although experienced mountaineers say the overall difficulty of the two routes is comparable, the challenges are different. On the Southeast Ridge, mountaineers must race through the hazardous Khumbu Icefall, but it’s a slightly shorter summit day and easier to descend quickly in the event of an emergency. On the North Ridge, it’s possible to drive jeeps all the way to base camp, but mountaineers must traverse several kilometers of terrain above 27,000 feet to reach the summit. (Read about China's highway to Everest.)
Mount Everest’s popularity soared in the 1990s when international guides began to pioneer commercial trips up the mountain. Despite the risks, Everest draws hundreds of mountaineers from around the world to its slopes each year. In 2021, the Nepal Ministry of Tourism issued a record 408 Everest climbing permits, the highest in its history.
For local logistics companies and the government of Nepal, Everest is big business. A typical spot on a commercial team costs anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000 depending on the level of service and the expertise of the outfitter. The Ministry of Tourism reported collecting $5.2 million in 2018 permit fees.
The industry is built on the backs of a small cadre of professional Nepalese guides who work together each spring to prepare the route with fixed ropes and ladders, stock each camp with essentials like tents, stoves, bottled oxygen, and food, and then patiently coach their foreign guests up to the summit.
Although historically it was the Sherpas—the Tibetan tribe of people who live closest to the mountain—who were hired by expeditions to carry loads of supplies up the mountain, today there are multiple ethnic groups who find employment on the mountain, leading to the less-catchy moniker of “high-altitude mountain worker.”
For a typical three-to-four-month Everest expedition, most earn between $2,500 and $5,000. In recent years, thanks to educational opportunities like the Khumbu Climbing Center, Nepalese guides have begun to receive training and certifications to international standards.
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She Summited Everest. Now, She's Inspiring Others to Explore.
The best weather for reaching the top of Everest typically arrives in the second half of May, but preparations for a successful ascent begin months beforehand. Most teams assemble in Kathmandu in late March to begin acclimatization. As they trek toward basecamp, their basecamp support staff and high-altitude workers are already on the mountain, carrying loads and preparing the route to the summit.
In April, climbers make several overnight forays (“rotations” in Everest parlance) to successively higher camps up the mountain to acclimatize, while the first teams of Nepalese guides reach the summit. By the second week in May, teams hope to have an established trail of several miles of fixed ropes leading from basecamp to the summit, with several well-stocked camps along the way.
More than 300 people are known to have died climbing Everest, according to the Himalayan Database. The overall death rate—the number of fatalities divided by the overall number of people on the mountain, not just those who summit—is approximately 1.2 percent, meaning that if you try to climb Everest, you have about a one in a hundred chance of dying along the way.
“Statistically, Everest is becoming safer primarily due to better gear, weather forecasting, and more people climbing with commercial operations,” says respected Everest chronicler Alan Arnette. “From 1923 to 1999: 170 people died on Everest with 1,169 summits or 14.5 percent. But the deaths drastically declined from 2000 to 2018 with 7,990 summits and 123 deaths, or 1.5 percent.” (Read about new safety measure on Everest.)
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Breathtaking Look at the Man Who Climbed Everest 21 Times
The actual summit of the mountain is a small dome of snow about the size of a dining room table. There’s room for a half dozen or so climbers to stand and enjoy the view, although on busy days mountaineers must take turns to truly stand on top of the world.
The last new route to be climbed on the mountain was accomplished by a team of hearty Russians in 2004. While each of Everest’s three major faces and ridges have been ascended, there are several intriguing challenges for future mountaineers to attempt, including the unclimbed Fantasy Ridge and the so-called Horseshoe Traverse, an audacious enchainment of Everest and its two neighboring peaks, Lhotse and Nuptse.
“Everest is in many ways still a blank canvas,” says alpinist and National Geographic photographer Cory Richards. “It’s still as high, cold, and formidable as it ever was. How one chooses to climb it is as much a reflection of creativity as skill. There is always a new way to approach something, and Everest is no different.”
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- Freddie Wilkinson
- At a glance. Duration: 14 days. Distance: ~110km. Max Altitude: 5,545m (18,192ft) Starts/ends: Lukla. Longest day: 19.6 km/7-8 Hours. Region: Everest, Sagarmāthā National Park.
- How long does it take? An Everest base camp trek typically takes around 14 days which includes 11 days of trekking – although two of these will be acclimatisation/rest days.
- How hard is the Everest base camp trek? On a scale of one to 10, I would say it’s about a six or seven. It is a high-altitude trek, it is for 11 days, you walk for between three and eight hours a day and it can get very cold.
- How much does it cost and what does it include? The Everest base camp trek can be booked through Magical Nepal, a Kathmandu-based trekking specialist with a wealth of experience in the region.
- Daniel Dawson
- What are the starting points for climbing Mount Everest? How to get there? From the Nepalese side, you will begin your Everest climbing adventure from Kathmandu.
- How long does it take to climb Everest? Reaching the summit of Mt Everest will take about 60 days from the Nepalese side. This includes arriving in Kathmandu, transferring to Lukla, hiking to Everest Base Camp, acclimatizing, preparin,g and making the final ascent.
- What are the possible climbing routes to Mount Everest? Prayer flags decorate many stops on the Nepalese side. Photo courtesy of Sonam Bhote. The two main routes to the summit of Mount Everest are from the southern face (in Nepal) and the northern face (in Tibet).
- Where to stay while climbing Everest? Camping in specialized tents on the way up Everest. Photo courtesy of Sonam Bhote. Regardless of the side from which you choose to climb Mount Everest, you will camp each night in specialized tents that have been set up by the Sherpas prior to your arrival.
Jun 7, 2019 · At least 11 people have died trying to climb Mount Everest this year. Kami Rita Sherpa, who's been to the world's highest summit more times than anyone else, tells the BBC too many climbers are...
May 4, 2024 · You can still climb Mount Everest. Here’s how to do it responsibly. New rules are changing the Everest Base Camp hiking experience, aiming to protect the Himalayas’ Sherpa communities and help...
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Before coming to Everest be in the best condition of your life. The famous American Alpinist Marc Twight once quipped that the stronger you are the harder it is for the mountain to kill you. He is right. Focus on relevant exercise. Train your cardiovascular capacity and improve your stamina.
