Mount Everest, a towering, hostile, daunting mountain
peak that has attracted adventurous climbers eager to conquer its peak, is
located along the border between Tibet and Nepal. Rising a staggering 8,848
meters (29,028 feet) above sea level, it is the tallest mountain in the world. The
mountain doesn’t sustain plant or animal life.
The natural conditions posing risks to climbers include:
- Lack of oxygen, with breathable oxygen levels only around one-third of that found at sea level.
- Heavy layers of snow that can vary from 1.5 – 6 meters (5 – 20 feet).
- Low summit temperatures ranging from -60 °C (-76 °F) to -19 °C (-2 °F).
- Sudden storms and temperature fluctuations.
- Strong winds of more than 160 km (100 miles) per hour.
The high altitudes can also have deadly consequences
on the human body as it manifests symptoms of oxygen deprivation. These symptoms
rapid breathing and pulse rates, poor digesting and loss of appetite, confusion,
and lack of sleep. In some cases, the brain may swell and can result in coma
and death, or the body sends additional blood to the lung causing the sufferer
to die from drowning. [1]
The first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest
were Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on 29th May 1953. Junko
Tabei was the first woman to reach the summit in 1975 with the first all-female
expedition group. She was the 36th person to successful climb the
Mount Everest. She defied the cultural pressures and expectations for women of
that time when she left her 3-year-old daughter with her husband to accomplish
the expedition.
Tabei started her all-female climbing group as a
result of the discrimination she received from male climbers. There were setbacks
raising sponsorship money for the expedition due to societal stereotypes with
some potential sponsors advising them they should be raising children instead. Not
only did she challenge stereotypes, Tabei overcame the harsh conditions of the
climb. Her climbing team was struck by an avalanche which left her buried in
the snowfall unconscious. The team also struggled over an icy ridge. Still, Tabei
persevered, and her success and achievements are a testament to her
determination and will. [2]
[1] https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Everest/Early-expeditions
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/10/junko-tabei-obituary