What a srach at the top of Everest. Terrifying pictures from Mount Everest that stirred the entire Internet
). It is located in the Himalayas on the Mahalangur Himal range. The shape of the mountain resembles a trihedral pyramid. The southern peak of Everest has a height of 8,760 meters and is located on the border of Nepal ( national park Sagarmatha) and the Chinese part of Tibet, the northern peak with a height of 8,848 meters is located in China. The southern slope of the Chomolungma is so steep that the snow does not hold on it. From all sides mountain range covered with glaciers ending at an altitude of 5 kilometers.
Climatic conditions in the Everest region are extremely harsh. Not counting the winds, the speed of which reaches 55 meters per second, those who want to conquer the mountain peak will encounter low air temperatures on their way. In winter, it can drop to minus 60 ° C, and in the warmest summer month (July), the air warms up to 0 degrees at best.
It would seem that in the summer on Everest the conditions are quite tolerable, but do not forget that at this time monsoon winds are raging, bringing with them great amount precipitation. Summer snow storms on Everest are so strong that even for experienced climbers it becomes impossible to continue climbing.
How long does it take to climb Everest?
Before you go to conquer Everest, carefully weigh your strengths and capabilities. It will take you quite a long time to climb. Expeditions for non-professional athletes are organized in May - the safest in terms of climatic conditions month. In total, the ascent to Everest will take about two months, and taking into account the route to the Base Camp and possible unforeseen situations, the total duration of the trip can be more than three and a half months.
How to get to the base camp?
If you are not an experienced climber, who has dozens of conquered peaks behind him, it may be worth limiting yourself to climbing only to the base camp, located at an altitude of 5300 meters. Such a journey is quite safe and at a cost much cheaper than a full climb to the top of the mountain. However, most people aspiring to Everest want, if not to reach the very top, then move as far as possible. Unfortunately, no one can give you an absolute guarantee of climbing to the top due to the climatic factors described above and other circumstances due to which the expedition may be interrupted.
Any expedition to Everest begins with trekking to the base camp. There are two such camps. One of them (North) is located on the territory of China in Tibet, the second (South) - in Nepal. In order to get into the Northern Camp, you will need permission from the Chinese government, which is very difficult to obtain and quite expensive. Therefore, the vast majority of travelers prefer to start climbing Everest from the South Base Camp. You can get there in 11-14 days. The journey will start from - Kathmandu, from there the group is delivered to Lukla by a small plane (the flight takes about 40 minutes). The remaining 50 kilometers to the Base Camp will have to be covered on foot. Tourist groups are on the road 4-5 hours a day and complete the entire route in about 9-10 days, depending on the preparation and weather conditions.
How is climbing Everest?
So, you ended up in Kathmandu, and from there to the South Base Camp. Remember, this route will take about two weeks. A logical question of many tourists: why the route of only 50 kilometers takes about 10 days. This is due to the fact that the base parking lot is located at a mark of more than 5300 meters, and the beginning of the route is at an altitude of just over 2000 meters. In order to prevent health problems, the ascent should be gradual so that the body acclimatizes and gets used to life in conditions of lack of oxygen. Just think, on the top of Everest, in order to take just one step, a person has to take up to 15 breaths. Of course, in the transition to the base camp, the conditions are not so severe, but you should not neglect the safety rules either.
To pass the adaptation, the groups make acclimatization stops lasting 1-2 days for every thousand meters of ascent. At the same time, it is recommended to drink plenty of water and listen carefully to the reaction of the body. It is always better to go back for a while than to overcome yourself and ultimately fail to reach the goal.
In the base camp, those who wish to go to the end will spend about a month, during which the necessary equipment will be prepared and checked, groups will be formed, and the body will adapt to mountain conditions.
Climbing to mountain top passes in stages, with halts in high-altitude camps located at 5800 meters, 7000 meters, 7800 meters and 8300 meters. Moreover, having risen to a certain height, the group returns to a lower level for the night, since spending the night at the maximum height of the day is very dangerous for health.
In addition to the most experienced guides, the group is accompanied by representatives of the indigenous population - Sherpas. They perform the most important functions: they help carry equipment, attach ropes and perform other work that even trained athletes cannot do.
It is worth noting that the ascent to the highest point of the mountain from the mark of 7900 meters is far from always carried out, since there is the so-called “death zone”, from where the bodies of dead climbers are not even evacuated. You can breathe here only with the help of an oxygen mask, and every step, without exaggeration, is given with great difficulty. If the group still gets to the top, after 20 minutes it will have to return, so as not to replenish the sad lists of those who died on Everest.
In addition to the lack of oxygen, there are other dangers for those who want to conquer Everest. The main one is snow avalanches, which always happen suddenly and have already claimed many lives. There is no protection from this phenomenon, and, as a rule, few manage to escape.
Another common cause of death of tourists is the harsh climate. Even experienced climbers were victims of snowstorms and low temperatures.
Equipment failure is another reason why people die on Everest. Breakage of insurance, breakdown of oxygen equipment - all this can lead to the most terrible consequences.
Remember that climbing to the top of Everest is not just a tourist route, but a risky and dangerous event that requires serious preparation. During the two months that the ascent will last, you will live in the most extreme conditions. Not everyone can do this.
How much does it cost to climb Everest?
We note right away that climbing Everest is one of the most expensive tourist activities. The average cost of a trip is at least 55-70 thousand US dollars, depending on how it is carried out: independently or as part of a commercial group. The second option will cost a little less.
The main costs for climbing in a group will be the sum of the following amounts:
- 8,000-15,000 dollars - transportation and related expenses (flight to Nepal and back, flight from Kathmandu to Lukla and back, vaccinations, payment for hotels and meals);
- 2,000-3,000 dollars - transition to the base camp, which includes transportation of goods, meals, payment for passage through the National Park;
- Climbing Everest will cost $20,000-$25,000 and includes expenses for the services of a liaison officer and medical staff, wages for guides and Sherpas, climbing permission ($11,000 per person), environmental fee ($4,000), route development, forecast tracking weather and other necessary expenses;
- Parking in high-altitude camps - 4,000-8,000 dollars (food, service, equipment check);
- Equipment - $3,000-15,000 ( oxygen masks, tents, climbing equipment, first aid kit, etc.).
In addition to the above, you should take into account contingencies and Additional services that may be required during the ascent. These include:
- Emergency evacuation by helicopter - from $ 100 at low levels to $ 20,000 at a serious height;
- Communication services - from 1000 dollars;
- Installation of the flag - from 2,200 dollars per 1 sq. meters of canvas;
- Tipping - up to 2000 dollars.
Mostly Russian companies offer tours to the Southern Base Camp and back. For example, these services are offered:
- Alpindustria company.
- "Himalayan glacier".
- Center "Kailash" and many others.
Climbing to the top of the mountain will require careful preparation, and associations of professional climbers in Russia and abroad can help you with this.
Requirements for those who want to climb Everest
The main requirement is the availability of free time and financial opportunities. Naturally, for a full ascent to the most high mountain the planet will require excellent health, reliable equipment and mountaineering experience. Without the presence of any of these components, you can try to climb, but only at your own peril and risk. In any case, before starting the route, you will sign a paper stating that only you are responsible for yourself and in case of accidents you and your family will not have any claims against the organizers of the ascent.
As far as equipment is concerned, full set not everyone has professional high-mountain equipment. It is not necessary to purchase it, it is enough to agree on a lease. This should be done in advance so that it does not turn out that they cannot help you in the Base Camp.
The conquest of Everest is the dream of many, but not everyone succeeds in fulfilling it. The mysterious and harsh peak of the world, where, according to legend, local residents, the gods live, submits only to the most enduring and courageous, ready to overcome not only nature, but also themselves.
And we also have
Height: 8848 m
Climbing price: from $60,000
Chomolungma - translated from Tibetan "Mother of the Gods" - the highest peak in the world, located on the border of Nepal and China. The most suitable month for climbing is May. Winter climbing Everest is something out of the ordinary: the thermometer can drop to -40 ° C (or even lower). The first person to climb Mount Everest was Polish entrepreneur Leszek Kichi in 1980.
Climbers begin their journey to Everest in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Then they go to ancient capital Tibet - Lhasa. In order not to lose either time or energy, climbers overcome this path by plane or helicopter. The starting point to the summit is the base camp (5364 m). The ascent will take 60 days, most of the time is spent on acclimatization. The base camp and the summit of Everest are separated by four high-altitude camps: 6100 m, 6500 m, 7300 m, 7900 m. Climbing is done gradually so that altitude sickness does not occur.
The main expenses will be spent on paying for a climbing permit ($11,000), oxygen cylinders (from $200 each, at least five cylinders are required per person), special climbing clothes and equipment, paying for the road to the base camp, camp equipment, paying for communications, food, the work of a guide and a sherpa.
Sherpas are a people living in Nepal. Most of them earn their living by mountaineering. They accompany the climbers along the entire route: they transfer climbers' belongings from one camp to another, make sure that everything is arranged in the camp before the climbers arrive, and check the safety systems. In a word, the Sherpa is the right hand of the team.
The first ascent was made in 1953 by Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary. More than 260 dead rest on the slopes of Everest.
Height: 8614 m
Climbing price: from $30,000
The second name of Mount K2 is Chopora, which in Chinese means " great mountain". Climbers also call K2 "Mountain of Death". It is located in China and Pakistan. Until the 1980s, the mountain was considered the highest in the world, until in 1987, Chinese topographers proved that K2 is the second highest mountain in the world after Everest. But this does not mean that it is easier to climb it. Just the opposite. The number of climbers is 10 times less than on Everest. Accordingly, the mortality rate is higher - technically the route is more difficult. By the way, there is not a single successful winter climbing the mountain. Among professional climbers, the following opinion is widespread that they climb Everest for the sake of praise, and K2 for the sake of respect from other climbers.
Collection point - Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. After the participants of the expedition, a trip to the base camp is waiting for both in jeeps and on "their own two". The path passes through the three largest mountain systems: the Himalayas, the Karakorum and the Hindu Kush.
To climb K2, like Everest (and any eight-thousander in general), you need to spend money on professional climbing equipment, food, travel, accommodation in the camp, insurance, Sherpa services. The main difference is the price of a climbing permit. On K2 it is only $1700.
On July 31, 1954, the Italian climbers Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni were the first to climb K2.
Kanchenjunga
Height: 8586 m
Climbing price: from $15000
Kanchenjunga is a whole mountain range on the border of Nepal and India, consisting of five peaks, four of them exceed 8000 m. Kanchenjunga Main is the third highest peak in the world. The name of the mountain, translated from the Tibetan language, means "Five Treasures of the Great Snows", namely: gold, silver, precious stones, grain and sacred books. For local residents, the mountain is considered holy. Climbers are allowed to climb, but on one condition: a person’s foot should not set foot on the very top of the mountain, so as not to desecrate it.
Permit (permit to climb) will cost only $210. The path to the base camp is overcome by trekking, that is, on foot. The route to Kanchenjunga is technically more difficult than the route to Everest. In addition, compared with other eight-thousanders in recent years, the death rate while climbing the mountain has increased by more than 20%.
On May 25, 1955, Britons Joe Brown and George Bend climbed the summit for the first time. In 1992, Polish climber Wanda Rutkiewicz, who became the first woman to summit K2, died while climbing.
Height: 8516 m
Climbing price: from $40,000
Lhotse is a mountain on the border of China and Nepal. Located next to Everest. For some time it was considered only a lateral ridge of the Chomolungma. The way to climb highest point the world and Lhotse absolutely coincide up to the third high-altitude camp (7162 m). From the side, the mountain resembles a pyramid, in addition to the main peak, there is also Lhotse Middle (8414 m) and Lhotse Shar (8383 m). To date, more than 500 people have visited the main peak of the mountain. The mountain is not popular among climbers. Usually climbers with extensive climbing experience and high physical fitness come to storm Everest and, as it were, climb Lhotse at the same time.
The duration of the ascent is 44 days. The price tag of a permit for Lhotse practically coincides with a permit for Everest, since the mountains belong to the same mountain range Mahalangur-Himal.
In 1956, the Swiss team came to storm Everest. Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger decided to climb another peak. On May 18, they became the first to reach the summit of Lhotse.
Altitude: 8201 m
Climbing price: from $20,000
Cho Oyu is located on the border of China with Nepal and is part of mountain system Chomolungmy. It is believed that Cho Oyu is the technically lightest eight-thousander compared to others. This in no way means that inexperienced climbers can climb the mountain.
Permit for Cho Oyu will cost $7400. The path to the summit passes through two base camps at an altitude of 5100 m and 5700 m and through three high-altitude camps. After a two-day rest in the first base camp, the team moves to the second one for safer acclimatization. From the top of Cho Oyi, there is a breathtaking view of Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu and other peaks.
The first ascent in 1954 was made by Austrians Herbert Tichy, Josef Yohler and Sherpa Pazang Dawa Lama.
Annapurna
Annapurna, or “Goddess of Fertility”, is a mountain range, on the territory of which 13 peaks rise from 7000 m, 16 from 6000 m and three eight-thousanders. Annapurna I is the 10th mountain in the ranking of peaks from 8000 m. In recent years, Annapurna has been ahead of Kanchenjunga in terms of the number of deaths, however, the death rate for the entire history of climbing Annapurna is more than 30%, which makes it the most dangerous mountain in the world.
The duration of the ascent is 38 days. The path to the base camp passes through the Annapurna National Park, which covers an area of more than 7500 square meters. Among mountain lovers, trekking around Annapurna is very popular, passing by the river valleys, from where the peaks of Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri I (8167 m) are visible. Getting to the top is not easy. You need to obtain a trekker's certificate (TIMS), which will allow you to enter the national park, a permit to stay in the park and a climbing permit. The collection of these documents is carried out by the company on behalf of which you go on a hike. You can do the design yourself, but it will be more expensive. For example, a team permit will cost $3,000 per person. . In general, these documents can be done remotely or right on the spot in Kathmandu.
The first ascent was made in 1950 by French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, who originally planned to climb the neighboring mountain Dhaulagiri I. The latter seemed impregnable to them, so the climbers decided to change the route. Annapurna is the first eight-thousander in the world, on the top of which a human foot has set foot.
Nepal is lucky to have unusual sights. Not only is the country known as the birthplace of the Buddha; here is the majority of the highest peaks of the world, 8 of the 14 "eight-thousanders". Among them is the highest mountain on the planet - Everest.
She is also known under the name "Chomolungma": translated from Tibetan - "Divine Mother of Life". The international name "Everest" was given to the mountain in honor of Sir George Everest, the head of the British India Geodetic Survey, simply because it was the employees of this institution who first measured the height of Chomolungma in 1852, proving that its Peak XV is the highest in the region and, probably, in the whole world. .
True, with the height of Everest, not everything is so obvious. Indian mathematician and topographer Radhanat Sikdar (an employee of the same service), based on trigonometric calculations and being 240 kilometers from Chomolungma, only suggested that this is the highest peak in the world. Practical calculations made 4 years later gave a figure of 29,002 feet (8840 meters), proving the theory.
And then Everest was measured repeatedly, and from time to time it "increased" - up to 8872 meters, depending on the methods. Currently, the officially recognized mark is 8848 meters above sea level, of which four meters fall on the snow cap.
Here, in the world of rocks, snows and eternal ice, frosts down to minus 60 ° C prevail, and strong winds blow at the top at a speed of up to 200 km / h. At an altitude of 7925 meters, the so-called "death zone" begins, where only 30% of oxygen is concentrated. Add to this constant ice collapses and snow avalanches - and it becomes obvious why no one could climb to the top for a long time. And now, despite the progress and all kinds of technologies, the ascent takes an average of two months, since it is done in stages: with the installation of an acclimatization camp.
Another difficulty in conquering Chomolungma was that the mountain lies on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet). From time to time, then Nepal, then China, or even both states at the same time, were closed to foreigners. One way or another, the first ascent was made on May 29, 1953 by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillar, after a numerous series of failures of previous expeditions.
The mountain has several names. The most common is Everest, assigned to the mountain in honor of the Englishman John Everest, who led the Survey of British India from 1830 to 1843. In Tibet, the peak is usually called Chomolungma, which means "divine" in translation. In Nepal, the name Sagarmatha, meaning "Mother of the Gods", was fixed.
In total, approximately 4,000 people have conquered Everest to date - we are talking about those who have reached the top. It is not possible to count the number of tourists with their shortened tours. Many of those who reached the very "roof of the world" set various kinds of records. This includes climbing without oxygen tanks, staying without oxygen for almost a day, and skiing down Everest ... In 2001, the blind American Eric Weihenmeier climbed to the top of Everest, in 2006 - Mark Inglis, a climber with two amputated legs. And the first woman to conquer Chomolungma was in 1976 the Japanese Junko Tabei.
Expeditions to Everest were planned by the British since 1893, but due to various reasons, the trip was postponed year after year. Only in 1921 was the first group equipped. The start was taken from Darjeeling. The purpose of the expedition was to explore the ways to climb the northern slope. In subsequent years, the British repeatedly made attempts to conquer main summit peace, but weather and lack of experience in climbing did not allow them to conquer Everest. The result of these attempts was only the death of several people, the mountain still remained impregnable ...
The desire to conquer the “divine”, after a series of similar unsuccessful campaigns, was repulsed by the British for a long time, and only after the Second World War did the person again turn his gaze to the top of the recalcitrant mountain. Again, a number of preliminary expeditions were carried out, the purpose of which was to deliver equipment to the slopes of Everest. These were the preparations for the main group's push. And on May 29, 1953, Tenzing Norgam and Edmund Hillary ascended to the top of the world ...
However, Everest is, in the full sense of the word, the mountain of death. Storming this height, the climber knows that he has a chance of not returning. Death can be caused by a lack of oxygen, heart failure, frostbite or injury. Fatal accidents also lead to death, such as a frozen valve of an oxygen cylinder. Moreover, the path to the summit is so difficult that, as Alexander Abramov, one of the participants in the Russian Himalayan expedition, said, “at an altitude of more than 8000 meters you cannot afford the luxury of morality. Above 8000 meters you are completely occupied with yourself, and in such extreme conditions you do not have extra strength to help a friend. The tragedy that happened on Everest in May 2006 shocked the whole world: 42 climbers passed by the slowly freezing Englishman David Sharpe, but no one helped him. One of them was the television people of the Discovery channel, who tried to interview the dying man and, having photographed him, left him alone ...
During all these years of climbing Everest, more than 200 people died, and only the bodies of a few were lowered from the top. The rest are buried in meter-long snow or are exposed by the winds and "meet" other climbers on the way to the top. These are the laws of Everest: the higher the height, the less humanity remains in people. More than once it happened that the rising group could help those in trouble, but to help means to complete the campaign, to abandon the dream. Many passed by, and when they walked back, help was no longer required.
Vladimir Vysotsky has a song " Better than mountains there can only be mountains,” and that’s true. The only exception is Chomolungma. What is experienced by a climber who has conquered the main peak in his life? Joy or disappointment, from the fact that the main goal has been achieved, and then there will be “smaller” mountains?!
Initially, the peak was not considered the highest in the world, according to the results of the first topographic survey (1823-1843), it was included in the classifier as the “XV” peak (Dhualagiri was the leader in this list). And only after the second survey (1845-1850) everything fell into place. Based on intelligence data, the British, under the leadership of Mallory, stormed the summit in 1922, but the monsoon, snowfall and lack of experience in high-altitude ascents did not give them the opportunity to climb. In 1924, the third expedition to Chomolungma. The group spent the night at an altitude of 8125 m, the next day one of the participants (Norton) reached a height of 8527 m, but was forced to return. A few days later, a second attempt was made to storm the northeastern ridge (a bunch of Mallory, Irvine using oxygen tanks), the climbers did not return, there is still an opinion that they could be on top of the Chomolungma. Subsequent pre-war expeditions to the area did not bring new results. In 1952, a Swiss expedition launched an assault on Everest from the south. Twice in 1952, Lambert and Norgay Tenzing climbed above 8000 meters, but in both cases the weather forced them to turn. was E. Hillary, they were supposed to help the British get over the Khumbu icefall, the Sherpa Norgay Tenzing was included in the assault group. There is a legend that the conquest of Everest was prepared as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II on the day of the coronation. On May 27, the first two - the British Evans and Bourdillon reached the southern peak, where they left oxygen and a tent for the next assault group. And on May 29, 1953, Sherp Norgay Tenzing and New Zealander Edmund Hillary reached the summit. On May 8, 1978, R. Messner and P. Habeler made what was considered impossible - the first ascent of Everest without oxygen. Messner described his feelings as follows: “In a state of spiritual abstraction, I no longer belonged to myself, to my vision. I am nothing more than a lone panting lung floating above mists and peaks. On May 16, 1975, the first woman climbed Everest, it was Junko Tabei (Japan). The first ascent of Soviet climbers to the highest peak of the Earth took place in May 1982. The Soviet team of 9 people climbed to the top of Everest, along a very difficult, previously untraveled route along the southwestern wall.
Everest is the highest and most dangerous peak on earth, which is deservedly called the "roof of the world." They say you can see the whole planet from there. Thrill-seekers, travelers and simply rich bored people are ready to pay a lot of money to see this gorgeous view with their own eyes. Everest is not only beautiful and dangerous, but also expensive. The cost of the ascent will cost from 3 to 5.5 million rubles.
General expenses
The average price of climbing Everest is 3 million rubles, but it varies depending on how you are going to conquer the mountain. There are only three of them: "solo" climbing, climbing as part of an expeditionary group and tourist climbing with a guide. It is better for a beginner to turn to the latter method.
The average price of climbing Everest is 3 million rubles.
All climbing costs can be divided into four large groups: the road to the base camp (depending on where you live, it can cost you from 32,500 to 455,000 rubles), climbing permits and insurance (they cost from 45,500 to 1,137,500 rubles), equipment and accommodation in the base camp - approximately 780,000 rubles. and hiring a guide for direct ascent to the top - from 1,300,000 to 5,200,000 rubles.
Road to base camp
It all starts with a flight. The closest point to Everest, which can be reached by regular plane - Kathmandu - the capital of Nepal. A ticket from Moscow there costs about 35 thousand rubles. one way. It is impossible to go to the summit right away from the airport: you need to spend at least a few days in the city to hire escorts (Sherpas), get permission to climb, prepare equipment, provisions, and also rent transport to Lukla, a city in the vicinity of Everest, from where you can directly and the journey to the top begins. Thus, it will take you another 19,200 - 44,800 rubles. for housing and food, 6400 rubles. for a visa, 12,800 for vaccinations, 9,000 - 45,000 rubles for food and 20,800 for travel.
Another significant waste is mountain goats and porters. The way to the base camp takes about 6 days. Renting one goat will cost 9600 rubles. per day, and the services of one porter - 4800 rubles. in a day. To carry all the necessary equipment, personal items, food and water, you will need 4 goats and 3 porters. We multiply their services by 6 days, during which we will need them, we get 316,800 rubles. And you haven't even made it to base camp yet.
base camp
You can’t just take and climb Everest: you must definitely prepare the body for climbing. For two months, climbers live at the foot of the mountain, in the base camp at an altitude of 5300 meters, where they get used to the rarefied mountain air, train, get instructed and make one-day trial ascents to higher camps. All this, of course, is not free. You will have to make a contribution to the medical service - 6400 rubles. per person, pay for communication - 160,000 per team, garbage collection - 256,000 rubles. from the team, the installation of stairs on icefalls, the laying of railings and other fortifications that facilitate climbing - 48,000 rubles. from a person. The weather forecast will also cost a lot, the accuracy of which often determines the life of climbers - 64,000 rubles. to the team.
To these costs, you also need to add the cost of food, tents, toilets and fuel. For 6 weeks in the camp, the tourist will be required to pay another 51,200 rubles. for food and warmth, "shelter" in all 4 high-altitude camps - 64,000 per person, as well as to pay for the services of a cook who will feed him in the base camp for 6 weeks - 320,000 rubles.
However, this is not the end of the road, and therefore not the end of spending, which only grows with each step towards the top.
Insurance and permission
The price of a climbing permit is always fixed, and in 2016 it is 715,000 rubles. Before you are going to conquer Everest, you need to obtain a license from the government of Nepal or Tibet. Many travel companies, offering routes to the "roof of the world", also require a mandatory premium for insurance. It can be 26000 - 162500 rubles. and cover the cost of evacuation, medical care or cancellation of the ascent. Separately, in case of an accident, you will have to pay for sanitation: it will cost from 325,000 to 1,300,000, depending on the height from which you need to pick up the victim.
ascent
After your body has acclimatized, your lungs have got used to the rarefied mountain air, the ascent begins, the cost of which this year is 704,000 rubles.
The main problem of Everest is the lack of oxygen at the top and on the approaches to it. Therefore, before starting the ascent, experienced climbers leave H2O cylinders for the “tourists” on the route, the cost of which is 35,200 rubles. a piece. To successfully complete the expedition, each person will need at least five such cylinders. RUB 28,160 you will also have to pay for a mask and 32,000 for an oxygen cylinder regulator. The climbers who delivered the cargo upstairs also need to be paid, the price of their services is 320,000 rubles.
Everest through a travel agency
"Solo" ascents, as a rule, are undertaken only by experienced climbers. More suitable for beginners tourist routes to Everest - as part of a commercial group. So, for a group of 7-10 people there are 5 guides and 21 Sherpas who help the "tourists" in the ascent.
Climbing as part of a commercial group is considered more thoughtful and safer.
This segment has many tourism organizations, whose services cost from $36,000 to $65,000. By the way, Adventure Consultants, which are discussed in the Hollywood film Everest, will really cost $65,000. And Mountain Madness, which was directed by Jake Gyllenhaal, who performs the role of Scott Fisher will cost the tourist $64,000.
Climbing as part of a commercial group is considered more thoughtful and safer. Of course, unforeseen expenses can happen here, for example, evacuation will require from 320,000 rubles. up to 1,280,000 rubles, depending on the location of the victim, however, most of the necessary costs, which are described above, have already been included in the cost.
Expensive and dangerous
It is expensive, dangerous to life and even harmful to health, because at such a height - more than 8 thousand meters - the body slowly begins to die ... Why do people continue to spend huge amounts of money for the sake of dubious pleasure, which can end in their death. Those who have been to Everest answer this question very vaguely.
“I think every person at the top experiences different feelings. I was very exhausted, I didn’t think that I had conquered Everest, but that this was just part of the way, and I still had to go down. And this is no less dangerous than the way up. To be honest, I was more happy when I went down the mountain, happy that I didn’t have to go back there again,” videographer and photographer Ben Clouse shares his feelings.
As for the Russians, the number of tours to Nepal (in particular, to Kathmandu) during the climbing of Everest is the largest in a year: “If we take all the years, we clearly see the peak of purchases on departure dates in late April or early May. This is a periodic event, i.e. this trend repeats from year to year,” says OneTwoTrip representative Artur Bolshakov.
You probably paid attention to such information that Everest is, in the full sense of the word, the mountain of death. Storming this height, the climber knows that he has a chance of not returning. Death can be caused by a lack of oxygen, heart failure, frostbite or injury. Fatal accidents also lead to death, such as a frozen valve of an oxygen cylinder. Moreover, the path to the summit is so difficult that, as Alexander Abramov, one of the participants in the Russian Himalayan expedition, said, “at an altitude of more than 8000 meters you cannot afford the luxury of morality. Above 8000 meters you are completely occupied with yourself, and in such extreme conditions you do not have extra strength to help a friend. At the end of the post there will be a video on this topic.
The tragedy that happened on Everest in May 2006 shocked the whole world: 42 climbers passed by the slowly freezing Englishman David Sharpe, but no one helped him. One of them was the television people of the Discovery channel, who tried to interview the dying man and, having photographed him, left him alone ...
And now to readers WITH STRONG NERVES you can see what the cemetery looks like on top of the world.
On Everest, groups of climbers pass by unburied corpses scattered here and there, they are the same climbers, only they were not lucky. Some of them fell off and broke their bones, some froze or simply weakened and still froze.
What morality can at an altitude of 8000 meters above sea level? It's every man for himself, just to survive.
If you really want to prove to yourself that you are mortal, then you should try to visit Everest.
Most likely, all these people who remained lying there thought that this was not about them. And now they are like a reminder that not everything is in the hands of man.
No one keeps statistics of defectors there, because they climb mostly as savages and in small groups of three to five people. And the price of such an ascent is from $25t to $60t. Sometimes they pay extra with their lives if they saved on little things. So, about 150 people remained on eternal guard, and maybe 200. And many who have been there say that they feel the gaze of a black climber resting on their backs, because there are eight openly lying bodies right on the northern route. Among them are two Russians. From the south is about ten. But climbers are already afraid to deviate from the paved path, they may not get out of there, and no one will climb to save them.
Terrible tales circulate among climbers who have visited that peak, because it does not forgive mistakes and human indifference. In 1996, a group of climbers from the Japanese University of Fukuoka climbed Mount Everest. Very close to their route were three climbers in distress from India - exhausted, icy people asked for help, they survived a high-altitude storm. The Japanese passed by. When the Japanese group descended, there was already no one to save, the Indians froze.
It is believed that Mallory was the first to conquer the summit and died already on the descent. In 1924, Mallory and his partner Irving began their ascent. Last time they were seen with binoculars in a break in the clouds just 150 meters from the top. Then the clouds converged and the climbers disappeared.
They did not return back, only in 1999, at an altitude of 8290 m, the next conquerors of the summit came across many bodies that had died over the past 5-10 years. Mallory was found among them. He was lying on his stomach, as if trying to hug the mountain, his head and hands frozen into the slope.
Irving's partner was never found, although the harness on Mallory's body suggests that the couple were with each other until the very end. The rope was cut with a knife and perhaps Irving could move around and left his comrade, died somewhere down the slope.
Wind and snow do their job, those places on the body that are not covered by clothes are gnawed to the bone by the snow wind, and the older the corpse, the less flesh remains on it. No one is going to evacuate the dead climbers, the helicopter cannot rise to such a height, and there are no altruists to carry a carcass of 50 to 100 kilograms. So the unburied climbers lie on the slopes.
Well, not all climbers are such egoists, they still save and do not leave their own in trouble. Only many who died are themselves to blame.
For the sake of the personal record of an oxygen-free ascent, the American Francis Arsentieva, already on the descent, lay exhausted for two days on the southern slope of Everest. Climbers from different countries. Some offered her oxygen (which she refused at first, not wanting to spoil her record), others poured a few sips of hot tea, there was even a married couple who tried to gather people to drag her to the camp, but they soon left, as put their own lives at risk.
The husband of an American, Russian climber Sergei Arsentiev, with whom they got lost on the descent, did not wait for her in the camp, and went in search of her, during which he also died.
In the spring of 2006, eleven people died on Everest - not news, it would seem, if one of them, Briton David Sharp, was not left in agony by a group of about 40 climbers passing by. Sharp was not a rich man and climbed without guides and Sherpas. The drama lies in the fact that if he had enough money, his salvation would be possible. He would still be alive today.
Every spring, on the slopes of Everest, both on the Nepalese and Tibetan sides, countless tents grow up in which the same dream is cherished - to climb to the roof of the world. Perhaps because of the motley variety of tents resembling giant tents, or because anomalous phenomena have been occurring on this mountain for some time, the scene was dubbed the “Circus on Everest”.
Society looked with wise calmness at this house of clowns as a place of entertainment, a little magical, a little absurd, but harmless. Everest has become an arena for circus performances, ridiculous and funny things happen here: children come to hunt for early records, old people climb without help, eccentric millionaires appear who have not even seen cats even in a photograph, helicopters land on the top ... The list is endless and not has nothing to do with mountaineering, but a lot to do with money, which, if not moving mountains, makes them lower. However, in the spring of 2006, the "circus" turned into a theater of horror, erasing forever the image of innocence that was usually associated with a pilgrimage to the roof of the world.
In the spring of 2006, on Everest, about forty climbers left the Englishman David Sharpe alone to die in the middle of the northern slope; faced with a choice, to help or continue climbing to the top, they chose the second, as to reach the very high peak the world for them meant to accomplish a feat.
On the very day that David Sharp was dying surrounded by this pretty company and in utter contempt, the media around the world sang the praises of Mark Inglis, the New Zealand guide who, lacking legs to be amputated after an occupational injury, climbed to the top of Everest on prosthetics made of hydrocarbon artificial fiber with cats attached to them.
The news, presented by the media as a super act, as proof that dreams can change reality, hid tons of garbage and dirt, so that Inglis himself began to say: no one helped the British David Sharp in his suffering. The American web page mounteverest.net picked up the news and began to pull the string. At the end of it is a story of human degradation, which is difficult to understand, a horror that would have been hidden if it were not for the media that undertook to investigate what happened.
David Sharp, who climbed the mountain on his own, participating in an ascent organized by Asia Trekking, died when his oxygen tank failed at an altitude of 8500 meters. It happened on May 16th. Sharpe was no stranger to the mountains. At the age of 34, he had already climbed the eight-thousand-meter Cho Oyu, passing the most difficult sections without the use of railings, which may not be a heroic deed, but at least shows his character. Suddenly left without oxygen, Sharp immediately felt ill and immediately collapsed on the rocks at an altitude of 8500 meters in the middle of the northern ridge. Some of those who preceded him claim that they thought he was resting. Several Sherpas inquired about his condition, asking who he was and with whom he traveled. He replied: "My name is David Sharp, I'm here with Asia Trekking and I just want to sleep."
North ridge of Everest.
New Zealander Mark Inglis, a double amputee, stepped his hydrocarbon prostheses over David Sharp's body to reach the summit; he was one of the few who admitted that Sharpe had indeed been left for dead. “At least our expedition was the only one that did anything for him: our Sherpas gave him oxygen. On that day, about 40 climbers passed by him, and no one did anything, ”he said.
Climbing Everest.
The first to be alarmed by Sharpe's death was the Brazilian Vitor Negrete, who, in addition, said that he had been robbed in a high-mountain camp. Vitor could not provide any more details, because he died two days later. Negrete made his way to the summit from the north ridge without the aid of artificial oxygen, but during the descent began to feel unwell and radioed for help from his Sherpa, who helped him get to Camp No. 3. He died in his tent, possibly due to swelling caused by being at altitude.
Contrary to popular belief, most people die on Everest during good weather, not when the mountain is covered in clouds. A cloudless sky inspires anyone, regardless of his technical equipment and physical capabilities, and this is where the edema and typical collapses caused by altitude lie in wait for him. This spring, the roof of the world knew a period of good weather, lasting for two weeks without wind and clouds, enough to break the record of ascents at this very time of the year: 500.
Camp after the storm.
Under worse conditions, many would not rise and would not die ...
David Sharpe was still alive after a terrible night at 8500 meters. During this time, he had the phantasmagorical company of "Mr. Yellow Boots", the corpse of an Indian climber, dressed in old yellow plastic Koflach boots, lying there for years, lying on a ridge in the middle of the road and still in a fetal position.
The grotto where David Sharpe died. For ethical reasons, the body is painted white.
David Sharp shouldn't have died. It would be enough for the commercial and non-commercial expeditions that went to the summit to agree to save the Englishman. If this did not happen, it was only because there was no money, no equipment, there was no one in the base camp who could offer the Sherpas doing such work a good amount of dollars in exchange for a life. And, since there was no economic incentive, they resorted to a false elementary expression: "you need to be independent at the height." If this principle were true, old people, the blind, people with various amputated limbs, completely ignorant, sick and other representatives of the fauna that meet at the foot of the "icon" of the Himalayas, knowing full well that something that cannot make their competence and experience, their thick checkbook will allow.
Three days after David Sharp's death, Peace Project leader Jamie McGuinness and ten of his Sherpas rescued one of his clients from a tailspin shortly after reaching the summit. It took 36 hours to do this, but he was evacuated from the summit on a makeshift stretcher, bringing him to the base camp. Can the dying person be saved or not? Of course, he paid a lot, and it saved his life. David Sharp only paid for having a cook and a tent at the base camp.
Rescue work on Everest.
A few days later, two members of the same expedition from Castile-La Mancha were enough to evacuate one half-dead Canadian named Vince from the North Col (at an altitude of 7000 meters), under the indifferent looks of many of those who passed there.
Transportation.
A little later there was one episode that will finally resolve the debate about whether or not to help a dying man on Everest. The tour guide Harry Kikstra was assigned to lead a group in which Thomas Weber, who had vision problems due to the removal of a brain tumor in the past, appeared among his clients. On the day of the summit of Kikstra, Weber, five Sherpas and a second client, Lincoln Hall, set out together from Camp Three at night under good weather conditions.
Abundantly swallowing oxygen, a little more than two hours later they stumbled upon the corpse of David Sharp, with disgust walked around him and continued on to the top. Despite the vision problems that height should have exacerbated, Weber climbed on his own using a railing. Everything happened as planned. Lincoln Hall with his two Sherpas moved forward, but at this time Weber's eyesight was seriously impaired. At 50 meters from the summit, Kikstra decided to finish the ascent and headed back with his Sherpa and Weber. Little by little, the group began to descend from the third step, then from the second ... until suddenly Weber, who seemed exhausted and uncoordinated, threw a panicked look at Kikstra and dumbfounded him: "I'm dying." And he died, falling into his arms in the middle of the ridge. Nobody could revive him.
Moreover, Lincoln Hall, returning from the top, began to feel bad. Warned by radio, Kikstra, still in a state of shock from Weber's death, sent one of his Sherpas to meet Hall, but the latter collapsed at 8700 meters and, despite the help of the Sherpas, who had been trying to revive him for nine hours, could not rise. At seven o'clock they reported that he was dead. The expedition leaders advised the Sherpas, worried about the onset of darkness, to leave Lincoln Hall and save their lives, which they did.
Everest slopes.
That same morning, seven hours later, guide Dan Mazur, who was following the road to the summit with clients, stumbled upon Hall, who, surprisingly, was alive. After being given tea, oxygen, and medicine, Hall was able to talk on the radio himself with his group at the base. Immediately, all the expeditions that were on the north side agreed among themselves and sent a detachment of ten Sherpas to help him. Together they removed him from the crest and brought him back to life.
Frostbite.
He got frostbite on his hands - the minimum loss in this situation. The same should have been done with David Sharp, but unlike Hall (one of the most famous Himalayans from Australia, a member of the expedition that opened one of the paths on the north side of Everest in 1984), the Englishman did not have a famous name and support group .
Sharpe's case is not news, no matter how scandalous it may seem. The Dutch expedition left one Indian climber to die on the South Col, leaving him only five meters from his tent, leaving him when he whispered something else and waved his hand.
A well-known tragedy that shocked many occurred in May 1998. Then a married couple died - Sergey Arsentiev and Francis Distefano.
Sergey Arsentiev and Francis Distefano-Arsentiev, having spent three nights (!) at 8,200 m, climbed and reached the summit on 05/22/1998 at 18:15. The ascent was made without the use of oxygen. Thus, Francis became the first American woman and only the second woman in history to climb without oxygen.
During the descent, the couple lost each other. He went down to the camp. She is not.
The next day, five Uzbek climbers went to the top past Francis - she was still alive. The Uzbeks could help, but for this they refused to climb. Although one of their comrades has already ascended, in this case the expedition is already considered successful.
On the descent we met Sergei. They said they saw Francis. He took oxygen tanks and went. But he disappeared. Probably blown away by a strong wind into a two-kilometer abyss.
The next day, three other Uzbeks, three Sherpas and two from South Africa— 8 people! They approach her - she has already spent the second cold night, but she is still alive! Again, everyone passes by - to the top.
“My heart sank when I realized that this man in a red and black suit was alive, but completely alone at an altitude of 8.5 km, just 350 meters from the summit,” recalls the British climber. - Katie and I, without thinking, turned off the route and tried to do everything possible to save the dying. Thus ended our expedition, which we had been preparing for years, begging for money from sponsors ... We did not immediately manage to get to it, although it lay close. Moving at such a height is the same as running under water ...
When we found her, we tried to dress the woman, but her muscles atrophied, she looked like a rag doll and muttered all the time: “I am an American. Please, do not leave me"…
We dressed her for two hours. My concentration was lost due to a bone-piercing rattling sound that broke the ominous silence, Woodhall continues his story. - I understood: Katie is about to freeze to death herself. We had to get out of there as soon as possible. I tried to lift Frances and carry her, but it was useless. My futile attempts to save her put Kathy at risk. We couldn't do anything."
Not a day went by that I didn't think about Frances. A year later, in 1999, Katie and I decided to try again to get to the top. We succeeded, but on the way back, we were horrified to notice the body of Francis, she lay exactly as we left her, perfectly preserved under the influence of low temperatures.
Nobody deserves such an end. Cathy and I promised each other to return to Everest again to bury Frances. It took 8 years to prepare a new expedition. I wrapped Francis in an American flag and included a note from my son. We pushed her body into a cliff, away from the eyes of other climbers. Now she rests in peace. Finally, I was able to do something for her." Ian Woodhall.
A year later, the body of Sergei Arseniev was found: “I apologize for the delay with the photographs of Sergei. We definitely saw him - I remember the purple down suit. He was in a kind of bow position, lying just behind Jochenovsky (Jochen Hemmleb - expedition historian - S.K.) "implicitly expressed rib" in the Mallory area at about 27150 feet (8254 m). I think it's him." Jake Norton, member of the 1999 expedition.
But in the same year there was a case when people remained people. On the Ukrainian expedition, the guy spent almost the same place as the American, a cold night. His own people lowered him to the base camp, and then more than 40 people from other expeditions helped. He got off lightly - four fingers were removed.
“In such extreme situations, everyone has the right to decide: to save or not to save a partner ... Above 8000 meters you are completely occupied with yourself and it is quite natural that you do not help another, since you have no extra strength.” Miko Imai.
On Everest, the Sherpas act like excellent supporting actors in a film made to celebrate unpaid actors silently playing their part.
Sherpas at work.
But the Sherpas, who provide their services for money, are the main ones in this business. Without them, there are neither fixed ropes, nor many ascents, nor, of course, salvation. And in order for them to help, they need to be paid money: Sherpas have been taught to sell for money, and they use the tariff under any circumstances. Just like a poor climber who is unable to pay, a Sherpa can find himself in a difficult situation, so for the same reason he is cannon fodder.
The situation of the Sherpas is very difficult, because they first of all take the risk of organizing a "spectacle" so that even the least qualified can snatch a piece of what they paid for.
Frostbitten Sherp.
“The corpses on the route are a good example and a reminder to be more careful on the mountain. But every year there are more and more climbers, and according to the statistics of corpses, it will increase every year. What is unacceptable in normal life is regarded as the norm at high altitudes.” Alexander Abramov, Master of Sports of the USSR in mountaineering.
"You can't keep climbing between corpses and pretending it's okay." Alexander Abramov.
"Why are you going to Everest?" asked George Mallory.
"Because he is!"
Mallory was the first to conquer the summit and died already on the descent. In 1924, the Mallory-Irving team launched an assault. They were last seen through binoculars in a break in the clouds just 150 meters from the summit. Then the clouds converged and the climbers disappeared.
The mystery of their disappearance, the first Europeans who remained on Sagarmatha, worried many. But it took many years to find out what happened to the climber.
In 1975, one of the conquerors assured that he saw some body off the main path, but did not approach, so as not to lose strength. It took another twenty years for in 1999, when traversing the slope from the 6th high-altitude camp (8290 m) to the west, the expedition stumbled upon many bodies that had died over the past 5-10 years. Mallory was found among them. He was lying on his stomach, sprawled, as if hugging a mountain, his head and hands were frozen into the slope.
Turned over - eyes closed. This means that he did not die suddenly: when they break, for many they remain open. They didn’t lower it - they buried it there. ”
Irving was never found, although the harness on Mallory's body suggests that the couple were with each other until the very end. The rope was cut with a knife and perhaps Irving could move around and left his comrade, died somewhere down the slope.
Scary footage of the Discovery channel in the TV series Everest Beyond the Possible. When the group finds a person freezing, they film him, but only ask for his name, leaving him to die alone in an ice cave:
The question immediately arises, but how is it:
Francis Arsentiev.
Cause of death: hypothermia and/or cerebral edema.
The evacuation of the bodies of dead climbers is very difficult, and often completely impossible, therefore, in most cases, their bodies remain forever on Everest. Passing climbers paid tribute to Frances by covering her body with an American flag.
Francis Arsentiev climbed Everest with her husband Sergei in 1998. At some point, they lost sight of each other, and were never able to reunite again, dying in different parts of the mountain. Frances died from hypothermia and possible cerebral edema, and Sergei, most likely, crashed in the fall.
George Mallory.
Cause of Death: Head injury from a fall.
British climber George Mallory may have been the first person to reach the summit of Everest, but we will never know for sure. The last time Mallory and his teammate Andrew Irwin were seen climbing Everest in 1924. In 1999, the legendary climber Konrad Anker discovered the remains of Mallory, however, they do not answer the question of whether he managed to reach the top.
Hannelore Schmatz.
In 1979, the first woman died on Everest - German climber Hannelore Schmatz. Her body was frozen in a half-sitting position, as she initially had a backpack under her back. Once upon a time, all climbers who climbed the southern slope passed by the body of Schmatz, which could be seen just above Camp IV, but one day strong winds dispelled her remains over the Kangshung wall.
Unknown climber.
One of several bodies found at high altitudes that remain unidentified.
Tsewang Paljor.
Cause of death: hypothermia.
The corpse of climber Tsewang Paljor, one of the first Indian group to attempt the Northeast Everest climb. Paljor died during the descent when the blizzard began.
The corpse of Tsevang Paljor is called "Green Boots" in climbing slang. It serves as a guide for climbers climbing Mount Everest.
David Sharp.
Cause of death: hypothermia and oxygen starvation.
British climber David Sharp stopped to rest near the Green Shoes, and was unable to continue his journey. Other climbers passed Sharpe, slowly freezing, exhausted, but were unable to help him without endangering their own lives.
Marko Lihteneker.
Cause of death: hypothermia and oxygen starvation due to problems with oxygen equipment.
A Slovenian climber died while descending Everest in 2005. His body was found just 48 meters from the summit.
Unknown climber.
The cause of death has not been established.
The body of another climber, which was found on the slope and was not identified.
Shriya Shah-Klorfine.
Canadian climber Shriya Shah-Klorfine summited Mount Everest in 2012 but died on the descent. Her body lies 300 meters from the summit, wrapped in a Canadian flag.
Unknown climber.
The cause of death has not been established.
The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -
