Mount Everest – Conquering a Deadly Ascent

 

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


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