Idea #760 – Reaching Everest Base Camp, Roof of the World, Nepal
Everest (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ, in Tibetan, सगरमाथा in Nepali), located in the mountain range of Himalayas, on the border between Nepal and Tibet, is the highest peak in the world. It culminates at 8,849 meters. Its current name was given to it by Westerners in 1865, in honor of George Everest, Surveyor General of the East Indies from 1830 to 1843
Climbing Mount Everest has always been considered the ultimate challenge. Several expeditions have followed one another since the beginning of the 20th century, via the northern slope in Tibet, then from 1950, via Nepal. However, the ascent remains very perilous: more than 14,000 mountaineers have attempted the ascent since 1922 and only 4,000 have succeeded, well helped, for the majority of them, by Sherpa porters and the use of bottles of oxygen. The accident rate remains particularly high because more than 200 mountaineers lost their lives there, without counting the carriers who were also impacted.
There are two base camps of Everest, the first slope, in the south, on the Nepalese side, is at 5,364 meters above sea level, at the foot of the Khumbu glacier. The second slope, to the north, on the Tibetan side, is located at 5,154 meters above sea level, at the foot of the Rongbuk glacier.
The base camp on the Nepalese side is the logistical base for the various expeditions that take place each year on Everest from Nepal, and in particular opens the way to the Khumbu Icefall. It is also the terminus for trekking allowing you to get as close as possible to Everest and to climb Kala Patthar, famous for its view of the Everest massif. At the start of the 2015 season, the base camp was destroyed by an avalanche, with dramatic consequences.
In this video, we decided to take a closer look at the giant: passing through the most dangerous airfield in the world, in Luckla, we continued the journey until we were able to contemplate the roof of the world, in all its splendor.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Mount Everest, Himalaya, Nepal
