Mount Everest, also known in Nepal as Sagarmāthā and in Tibet as Chomolungma, is Earth's highest mountain. It is located in the Mahalangur mountain range in Nepal and Tibet. Its peak is 8,848 metres above sea level. Wikipedia

Elevation: 8,848 m

First ascent: May 29, 1953

Prominence: 8,848 m

First ascenders: Tenzing Norgay, Edmund Hillary

Mountain range: Himalayas, Mahalangur Himal

Listing: Seven Summits, Eight-thousander, Ultra-prominent peak

Geography

Everest is 29,035 feet or 8848 meters high
The summit is the border of Nepal to the south and China or Tibet on the north
It is over 60 million years old
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 consist 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 200 mph
The temperature can be -80F
In mid May each year, the jet stream moves north causing the winds the 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 be very hot with temperatures over 100F in the Western Cwm, an area climbers go through to reach the summit.

History

Like all mountains around the world, the local, indigenous people were the first to see it
Everest is called Chomolungma in Tibet. It means mother goddess of the universe
Everest is called Sagarmatha in Nepal. It means goddess of the sky
It was first identified for the western world by a British survey team lead by Sir George Everest in 1841
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 in 1999

Summits - updated August 2015

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 from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa from 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, 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 with Peter Habler in 1978

Male Summits

The youngest male to summit was American Jordan Romero, age 13, on May 23, 2010 from the north side.
The oldest male to summit was Japanese Miura Yiuchiro, age 80 on May 23, 2013
Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi both hold the record for most summits (male or female) with 21, the most recent one in 2013
American Dave Hahn has the most non-Sherpa summits with 15, the most recent in 2013

Female Summits

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 person and woman to summit from the south side was Nepali Nima Chemji Sherpa on May 19, 2012
418 women have summited through August 2015
Nepali, Lakpa Sherpani holds the women's summit record with six (1 South, 5 north)

Summit Statistics

There have been 7,001 summits of Everest through August 2015 on all routes by 4,093 different people.
953 people, mostly Sherpa, have summited multiple times totaling 3,861 times (included in the 7,001 total summits).
The Nepal side is more popular with 4,421 summits compared to 2,580 summits from the Tibet side
193 climbers summited without supplemental oxygen through August 2015, about 2.7%
14 climbers have traversed from one side to the other.

Death Statistics

282 people (169 westerners and 113 Sherpas) have died on Everest from 1924 to August 2015.
Of the deaths, 102 died attempting to summit without using supplemental oxygen.
The Nepalese side has seen 4,421 summits with 176 deaths through August 2015 or 3,98%
The Tibet side has seen 2,580 summits with 106 deaths through August 2015. or 4.1%
Most bodies all are still on the mountain but China has removed many bodies from sight.
The top cause of death was from a fall, avalanche, exposure and altitude sickness
About 60% of all expeditions put at least one member on the summit.
From 1923 to 1999: 170 people died on Everest with 1,169 summits or 14.5%. But the deaths drastically declined from 2000 to 2015 with 5,832 summits and 112 deaths or 1.9%.
However, two years skewed the deaths rates with 16 in 2014 and 19 in 2015.
The reduction in deaths is primarily due to better gear, weather forecasting and more people climbing with commercial operations.

Climbing

There are 18 different climbing routes on Everest
It takes 40 days to climb Mt. Everest in order for the body to adjust to the high altitude
There is 66% less oxygen in each breath on the summit of Everest than at sea level
Thin nylon ropes are used to keep climbers from falling.
Climbers wear spikes on their boots called crampons
They also use ice axes to help stop a fall
Thick, puffy suits filled with goose feathers keep climbers warm
Most climbers eat a lot of rice and noodles for food
Almost all climbers use bottled oxygen because it is so high. It helps keep the climbers warm.
Climbers start using bottled oxygen at 26,000 feet but it only makes a 3,000 foot difference in how they feel so at 27,000 feet, they feel like they are at 24,000 feet
You have to be 16 or older to climb from the Nepal side and 18 on the Chinese side.
The average expedition takes about 39 days.

Sherpas

Sherpa is the name of a people. They mostly live in western Nepal. They migrated from Tibet over the last several hundred years
Sherpa is also used as a last name
Usually their first name is the day of the week they were born.
- Nyima - Sunday
- Dawa - Monday
- Mingma - Tuesday
- Lhakpa - Wednesday
- Phurba - Thursday
- Pasang - Friday
- Pemba - Saturday
Sherpas help climbers by carrying tents and cooking food to the High Camps
Sherpas climb Everest as a job to support their families
Sherpas can get sick from the altitude like anyone

Trivia

Babu Chiri Sherpa spent the night on the summit in 1999
Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi both hold the record for most summits with 21, the most recent one in 2013
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

Update

I returned to climb Mt. Everest and stood on the summit on May 21, 2011..

This was to raise awareness and research funds for Alzheimer's Disease and 100% of all donations go to Alzheimer

MOUNT EVEREST HISTORY/FACTS:

EVEREST FACTS

Age of Everest: Everest was formed about 60 million years ago

Elevation: 29,035 (8850m)-found to be 6' higher in 1999

Name in Nepal: Sagarmatha (means: goddess of the sky)

In Tibet: Chomolungma: (means: mother goddess of the universe)

Named after: Sir George Everest in 1865 ,the British surveyor-general of India. Once known as Peak 15

Location: Latitude 27° 59' N.....Longitude 86° 56' E It's summit ridge seperates Nepal and Tibet

First Ascent: May 29,1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary, NZ and Tenzing Norgay, NP, via the South Col Route

First Solo Ascent: Aug. 20,1980, Reinhold Messner, IT, via the NE Ridge to North Face

First winter Ascent: Feb. 17,1980 -L.Cichy and K. Wielicki, POL

First Ascent by an American: May 1,1963, James Whittaker, via the South-Col

Mt. Everest rises a few milimeters each year due to geological forces

Everest Name: Sir George Everest was the first person to record the height and location of Mt. Everest, this is where Mt."Everest" got its name from(In american language)

First Ascent by a Woman: May 16,1975, Junko Tabei, JAP, via the South-Col

First Ascent by an American Woman: Sep.29,1988, Stacey Allison, Portland, OR via the South-East Ridge

First Oxygenless Ascent: May 8, 1978- Reinhold Messner, IT, and Peter Habeler, AUT, via the South-East Ridge

First woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest from both north & south sides: Cathy O'Dowd (S.A.) South May 25,1996/North '99

Fastest Ascent from South: Babu Chhiri Sherpa 34, NP-16 hours and 56 minutes (5-21-2000)

Fastest Ascent (north side): Hans Kammerlander (IT) May,24,1996, via the standard North Col Ridge Route, 16 hours 45 minutes from base camp

Youngest person: Temba Tsheri (NP) 15 on May,22,2001

Oldest Person: Sherman Bull May,25,2001 -64 yrs

First Legally Blind Person: Erik Weihenmeyer May,25,2001

Most Ascents: Eleven, 24th May 2000 Appa Sherpa became the first person to climb Everest 11 times-Ten, Ang Rita Sherpa, Babu Chiri Sherpa all ascents were oxygen-less.

Best and Worst Years on Everest: 1993, 129 summitted and eight died (a ratio of 16:1); in 1996, 98 summitted and 15 died (a ratio of 6½:1)

Highest cause cause of death: Avalanches-about a (2:1) ratio over falls

Country with most deaths on mountain: Nepal-46

Most dangerous area on mountain: Khumbu Ice Fall-19 deaths

First ski descent: Davo Karnicar (Slovenia) 10-7-2000

Last year without ascent: 1974

Last year without ascent: 1977

Corpses remaining on Everest: about 120

Longest stay on top: Babu Chiri Sherpa stayed at the summit full 21 hours and a half

Largest team: In 1975, China tackled Everest with a 410-member team.

Fastest descent: In 1988, Jean-Marc Boivin of France descended from the top in just 11 minutes, paragliding.

Only climber to climb all 4 sides of Everest: Kushang Sherpa, now an instructor with Himlayan Mountaineering Institute

First person to hike from sea level to summit, no oxygen.: 11th May 1990,Tim Macartney-Snape, Australian

Largest number to reach the top in one day: 40, on May 10, 1993

First person to summit Everest twice: Nawang Gombu-Nepal(once with Whitaker in '63,and again two years later in '65)Gombu now works for the Himalayan mountaineering institute

The oldest woman to summit Anna Czerwinska May 22, 2000.