MOUNT EVEREST

At an elevation of 29,028 feet (8848 meters) above sea level, Mount Everest is the world’s tallest mountain. Mount Everest is relatively young, having been formed only 60 million years ago, and it is still growing a few millimeters every year!

Mount Everest is in the mountain range called the Himalayas. The summit ridge of Mount Everest separates Nepal and Tibet. Each place has a special name for this giant mountain. The Nepalese name is Sagarmatha, which means “goddess of the sky”. The Tibetan name is Chomolungma, which means “mother goddess of the universe”. In English, Mount Everest is named after Sir George Everest, the first person to record the height and location of the mountain.

A climb to the summit was attempted by George Mallory in 1922, who famously gave his reason for wanting to climb Everest as “because it’s there.” He attempted to reach the summit again in the company of Andrew Irvine in 1924, but on this trip both climbers disappeared.

The first successful ascent (and descent) of Mount Everest was accomplished by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on May 29th, 1953. The first ascent by a woman was on May 16th, 1975, by Junko Tabei from Japan.

Between 1921 and 2007, over two thousand people have climbed Mount Everest, some more than once. Since the first ascent in 1953, more than 600 climbers from 20 different countries have reached the summit. However, over two hundred climbers have died attempting to climb Mount Everest, most commonly from avalanches, but also from falls in crevasses, cold, or high-altitude sicknesses.

Name ________________________ Date _____________________

Choose the best answer for each question on this page

1. How high is Mount Everest?a) 8848 feetb) 29,028 metersc) 29,028 feetd) 8848 meters

2. In what way does Mount Everest change annually?a) It is shrinking a very small amount.b) It is getting a little wider.c) It is shifting slightly to the north.d) It is growing a very small amount taller.

3. Mount Everest is in the mountain range called the ________.a) Rocky Mountainsb) Andesc) Himalayasd) Alps

4. Who wanted to climb Mount Everest “because it’s there”?a) George Malloryb) Edmund Hillaryc) Tenzing Norgayd) Junko Tabei

5. The first team to successfully reach the summit was _________.a) George Mallory and Andrew Irvineb) Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgayc) George Mallory and Edmund Hillaryd) Tenzing Norgay and Andrew Irvine

6. Since 1953, how many people have reached the summit?a) about 20b) fewer than 600c) exactly 600d) more than 600

Name ________________________ Date _____________________ Write complete sentences to answer the questions below.

1. Imagine being the first person to climb to the top of Mt. Everest.Describe.

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2. Tell how George Mallory trying to climb Mt. Everest “becauseit’s there” reminds you of an experience you have had.

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3. After reading the story what do you think is meant bycrevasses?

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4. What did you learn about Mt. Everest that you did not know?How will you use that new information?

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Answers to Mount Everest Multiple-choice 1. c2. d3. c4. a5. b6. d

Short-answer 1. (Answers may vary, accept reasonable answers.)2. (Answers may vary, accept reasonable answers.)3. Crevass = large, deep crack in the upper surface of a glacier4. (Answers may vary, accept reasonable answers.)

Khumbu Glacier 4926 m

Summit 8850 m

Western Ridge 7254 m

South Summit 8763 m

WORKSHEET THE DEATH ZONE

The summit of Mount Everest is 8850m (29,035 ft).

At these heights some people get sick and even die. As mountaineers climb the mountain they certainly feel the affects of the changes in the atmosphere. When trekkers first started going to Mount Everest, about one in every 50 died. Above 3000m is called the Death Zone.

Task 1

If the temperature falls by 10 o C every 1000m you climb, what would you expect the temperature to be at the locations listed below?

Fill in the table with your answers:

Height (metres) Estimated temperature (o C)

Khumbu glacier 4926 -15 o C

Western ridge

South summit

Summit

Mount Everest facts:

● It is thehighestmountain inthe world at8850m(29035 ft).

● It’s peak isjust belowthecruisingheight of ajet.

● MountEverest is inthe centralHimalaya onthe borderbetweenTibet andNepal.

Vocabulary

Troposphere is the layer of atmosphere next to the Earth’s surface It is about 7-8 km thick and is where most of the weather activity affect-ing human life takes place. In this layer, the tempera-ture falls with height.

WORKSHEET THE DEATH ZONE

Vocabulary

Atmospheric pressure is the pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere on the earth. The atmospheric pressure determines how much air is ‘pushed’ into your lungs with each breath. It is measured in millibars.

Climbers have to take precautions to guard themselves against the extremely low temperatures. Without proper equipment or poor planning, frostbite is an ever present threat. What precautions could you take to prevent you from getting frostbite?

Task 2 As you go further up a mountain, the atmos-pheric pressure drops. Using the graph, estimate what the air pressure would be at various points up Mount Everest, and fill in the table.

How do you think low atmospheric pressures might affect a climber’s breathing?

Sherpa with badly frostbitten fingers .

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Height (metres) Estimated pressure (millibars)

Khumbu glacier 4926 530

Western ridge

South summit

Summit

Primitive oxygen equipment, 1936

Fact:

● At 2,500m many climbers have headaches, loss of appetite and nausea. Why? Because as available oxygen falls, the body responds by increasing the blood flow to the brain, but it can overcom-pensate and fluid leaks from blood vessels causing the brain to swell. This is Acute Mountain Sickness. If it goes untreated it can be fatal.

Altitude, metres

Pressure, mb

WORKSHEET THE DEATH ZONE

Vocabulary

The albedo is the ratio of solar radiation falling on the surface of the Earth compared to the amount reflected from it.

Precipitation means all forms of water which falls to the ground. It take many forms, for example, rain, dew, hail and snow.

Task 3 The ‘Khumbu cough’ is a common complaint among Mount Everest climbers. It is a persistent dry cough which can be so bad that it can result in broken ribs! It is caused by the cold dry air on the mountain.

Why do you think the air is very dry (unsaturated) high up on the mountain? Where has all the moisture in the air gone? Clue: go back to task 1 and look at the temperatures.

Task 4

What kind of precipitation would you expect to experience if you were climbing Mount Everest?

The average albedo on Earth is 30% but it can increase to up to 90% on the slopes of Everest. Why do you think this is?

What affects do you think the high albedo has on Mount Everest climbers?

A Sherpa on Mount Everest wearing homemade

goggles

Girl using her hair to shield her eyes.

Mount Everest Read the sentences below. Visit the page Mount Everest to find the missing words.

1. George Mallory and Andrew __________ may have reached the summit first in 1924.2. The highest mountains in the United States are found in __________, California, __________ and Washington.3. The first people to reach the top were probably Edmund Hillary and Tenzing __________ on May 29, 1953.4. Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain peak in the __________ is twice as high as these mountain peaks at 29,028 feet.5. The trash left behind by climbers on Mt. Everest is a huge problem. Empty oxygen bottles, torn tents, food containers,

broken equipment and poop litter the __________.6. Over 4,000 __________ have attempted to climb Mt. Everest but only 660 have succeeded.7. Why is Mt. Everest so dangerous? __________, freezing temperatures, __________, altitude sickness and low

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A S O K A B I O T R A I L S L H

F G D D L C L I M B E R S N V N

S K A R A S E H C N A L A V A O

M L R E S J O Y D K L Y O P K R

R A O W K D R L S S D R Y U O G

O W L Q A T R K G B E A C H Y A

T S O X M O F O X Y G E N V N Y

S E C B W M E A N E N I V R I N

Name _______________________________________________ Date ______________________

Everest History Time Line

Write dates for each event in time order from left to right. Add details along the line.

Climbing Everest: A Timeline 1841 Sir George Everest, surveyor of India, records Everest's location, labeling it Peak XV. 

1859 Peak XV is renamed Mount Everest. 

1924 George Mallory and Andrew Irving disappear as they attempt to summit Everest. 

1934 Maurice Wilson attempts to solo Everest. His body is later found at 21, 327 feet. 

1953 Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary become the first to summit 

Everest. 

1973 Shambu Tamang of Nepal summits at 16 years old. Later he was said to be 18. 

1975 Junko Tabei of Japan becomes the first woman to summit. 

1978 Austria's Peter Habeler and Italy's Reinhold Messner are make the first ascent without bottled 

oxygen. 

1990 Sir Edmund Hillary's son, Peter, summits Everest. 

1999 George Mallory's body is located 2,000 feet below the summit. 

1999 Scientists revise Everest's elevation by seven feet, from 29,028 feet to 29,035 feet. 

2001 American Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to summit Everest. 

1852 The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India establishes that "Peak XV" in the Himalayas is the highest mountain in the world.

1865 Called Chomolungma in Tibet and Sagarmatha in Nepal, the world's highest mountain is named after Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor General from 1830-1843.

1920 The 13th Dalai Lama opens Tibet to foreigners. British reconnaissance party leaves Darjeeling to explore a route to Mt. Everest from the Tibetan side.

1921 First attempt to climb Mt. Everest made by a British team which included George Mallory.

1922 The first recorded deaths on Everest occur when seven Sherpa porters, part of a British expedition, die in an avalanche.

1924 George Mallory, 38, and Andrew Irvine, 22, disappear on their way to the summit. They were last spotted by a member of the expedition, who reported they "were going strong for the top." Whether they reached the summit remains a mystery.

1952 Swiss climber Raymond Lambert and renowned Sherpa climber Tenzing Norgay almost make it to the South Summit before turning back.

1953 First summit of Everest accomplished by Edmund Hillary, New Zealand, for the British Commonwealth, and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa from India. Neither will ever acknowledge which of them was technically the first.

1955 The height of Mt. Everest is adjusted by 26 feet to 29,028 feet (8,848 m) from the original measurements of the 1852 Great Trigonometrical Survey of India.

1963 The first American, James Whittaker, summits Everest.

1975 Junko Tabei (Japan) becomes the first woman to summit.

1978 Reinhold Messner (Italy) and Peter Habeler (Austria) make the first ascent without supplemental oxygen.

1980 Reinhold Messner makes the first solo ascent of Everest (also without supplemental oxygen).

1996 15 climbers died on Everest — the most casualties in a single year.

1999 George Mallory's body is found by a search expedition at 27,000 feet. Searchers had hoped to find a camera that might contain photos of Mallory and Irvine on the summit or some other proof that they were the first to summit Everest, but no evidence is found. On May 5 a team of nine made satellite observations at the summit of Everest.

On Nov. 11, the revised official elevation of Everest is announced by the National Geographic Society to be 29,035 feet (8,850 meters).

2000 142 climbers make it to the summit—the most ever in a single year.

2001 American Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach Everest's top.

2003 At 70, Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura becomes the oldest person ever to reach Everest's summit, and a 15-year-old Sherpa girl, Ming Kipa, becomes the youngest.

2006 Appa Sherpa climbs Everest for the 16th time, breaking his own record for being the person who has climbed Everest the most. He first summited in 1989.

Takao Arayama displaces Yuichiro Miura's record and becomes the oldest Everest climber at 70 years, 7 months, and 13 days. Miura was 70 years, 7 months, and 10 days.

2007 The first cellphone call is made from the top of Everest by Rod Baber, a British climber. "It's cold, it's fantastic, and the Himalayas are everywhere," he said in the call.

Katsusuke Yanagisawa, 71, becomes the oldest person to scale Everest, beating the previous record set by Takao Arayama, 70, in 2006. He is the third Japanese in recent years to set a record as the oldest Everest climber.

Clare O'Leary becomes the first Irishwoman to summit Everest and Pat Falvey becomes the first Irishman to summit from both the Nepalese and Tibetan sides.

2008 On May 8, the Olympic torch was carried by climbers to the “roof of the world,“ reaching the 29,035 foot summit of Mount Everest at 0920 local time. During the ascent, Tibetan women were the first and last to carry the torch.

On May 22, Apa, a veteran Sherpa guide, climbed to the top of Mount Everest for the 18th time at age 47, beating his own record for the most summits of the world's tallest mountain.

Nepali national Min Bahadur Sherchan, 76, became the oldest person to summit Everest on May 25.

2009 The May 2009 climbing season witnessed the 19th successful trip for Apa Sherpa as a member of the Eco Everest Expedition, while Dave Hahn of Taos, New Mexico reached a milestone when he summited for the 11th time, the most for a non-Sherpa.

2011 Apa Sherpa again broke his own world record and reached the summit of Mt. Everest for the 21st time on 11 May 2011.

2012 Japan's Tamae Watanabe, 73, became the oldest woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest on May 19, 2012. She successfully climbed Everest in 2002 at age 63.

2013 The estimated 600 summits in the spring of 2013 brought the total estimated summits to 6,800.

On May 23, Japanese Miura Yiuchiro became the oldest person to summit at age 80.

2014 Sixteen Sherpa guides die in an avalanche in April. They were fixing ropes for climbers at an elevation of 19,000 feet when the avalanche hit. It is the single most deadly accident on Everest. After the incident, dozens of Sherpa guides walked off the job in protest over the Nepalese government's response to the tragedy.

2015 On April 25, 2015, at least 22 people die and dozens are injured in an avalanche triggered by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in central Nepal. It is the deadliest avalanche ever recorded on Mount Everest and devastates the country—killing 8,500 nationwide. For the first time in 41 years, there are no summits.

2016 The climbers are back on the mountain, including two Iraq war veterans who lost right legs to roadside bombs, hoping to become the first combat amputees to reach the top of Mount Everest.

According to Everest statistics compiler Alan Arnette, it currently costs an average $45,000 to climb Everest, but depending on customization and route choices, the price tag can be as high as $85,000.

 

“Everest- The Death Zone”

1. In miles, approximately how high is Mt. Everest?

2. In general, how does hypoxia affect brain function?

3. For every 6 successful summits on Everest, how many people will die?

4. How high is Mt. Everest base camp and how long does it typically taketo ascend to it?

5. What is an important factor that determines who will do well on Everest and why?

6. At sea level what is the percent saturation of blood with oxygen?

7. How does the percent saturation of blood with oxygen, heart rate, and breathingchange when going to high altitude?

8. What are early warning signs of acute mountain sickness?

9. What are more major/severe warning signs of acute mountain sickness?

10. What happens with high altitude pulmonary edema?

11. At what altitude does the body start to deteriorate and what are some of the basicways in which the body deteriorates?

12. At what altitude is known as the “Death Zone” due to the rapid deterioration of thebody?

13. What conditions of the climber prior to the final ascent makes it amazing that theclimber can reach the summit of Mt. Everest?

14. What happens to resting as well as exercise heart rates as you go higher andhigher in elevation and how does this affect human performance?

15. Does acute high altitude affect brain size and brain functioning? How?

Entitled “Everest- The Death Zone” 1. In miles, approximately how high is Mt. Everest? Approximately 5.5 miles or 29,028 feet or 8,848 meters 2. In general, how does hypoxia affect brain function? Decreased PO2 and CaO2 at altitude decreases cognitive functioning, slows speach and increases slurring of words, slows reaction time, impairs judgment, increases hallucinations, and decreases brain size due to brain cell death 3. For every 6 successful summits on Everest, how many people will die? One 4. How high is Mt. Everest base camp and how long does it typically take

to ascend to it? 17,600 feet; 10 days

5. What is an important factor that determines who will do well on Everest and why? Lung capacity; larger lungs can move more air into the lungs and more hence

oxygen into the blood 6. At sea level what is the percent saturation of blood with oxygen? Approximately or close to 100% 7. How does the percent saturation of blood with oxygen, heart rate, and breathing

change when going to high altitude? Decreased PaO2; increased heart rate, ventilation rate, and breathing rate (i.e., respiratory rate) 8. What are early warning signs of acute mountain sickness? Headaches, dizziness, trouble sleeping, and lack of appetite 9. What are more major/severe warning signs of acute mountain sickness? Severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty with balance and coordination 10. What happens with high altitude pulmonary edema?

Blood vessels in lungs leak fluids into lungs and the alveoli fill with fluid decreasing PAO2 and SaO2, which can lead to the coughing of pink sputum and possibly death

11. At what altitude does the body start to deteriorate and what are some of the basicways in which the body deteriorates?

17,000 feet; muscle wasting and decreased body weight as the body consumesitself for energy

12. At what altitude is known as the “Death Zone” due to the rapid deterioration of thebody?

26,000 feet as the body cannot acclimatize to this altitude

13. What conditions of the climber prior to the final ascent makes it amazing that theclimber can reach the summit of Mt. Everest?

Lack of sleep, food and water; difficulty breathing due to dry membranesand coughing; headaches and sore throat; take a lot will to keep going

14. What happens to resting as well as exercise heart rates as you go higher andhigher in elevation and how does this affect human performance?

Increased resting and exercise heart rates bring them closer to maximal heart rate, which may possibly decrease at high altitude

15. Does acute high altitude affect brain size and brain functioning? How?

Mild atrophy of the brain and decreased brain functioning

Teachers Notes - Activities

The following activities are suggestions on how the resources can be used in the classroom - they can be used as part of a scheme of work or as one-off lessons.

Key question Where is Mount Everest?

Resources Factsheet: Where is Mount Everest? The online image gallery

Activity One Locate the world’s major mountain ranges on an outline world map using a selection of atlases, internet maps. Annotate and label fully. Ask the students to use an atlas or globe to locate the Himalayas.

Activity Two Produce a fact file about Nepal – in an accessible and understandable way using information from Where is Everest Factsheet. Find similar facts about the UK from the internet and compare the two countries in the form of a table. Make a concluding comment about the similarities and differences.

Key question What is the mountain environment of Everest like?

Resources Factsheet: The Making of Mount Everest

Activity One Look at a selection of images of Mt Everest from the gallery and give words that describe the landscape.

Draw an outline of a mountain or mountain range. Inside and around it, write words associated to the environment – use emotive as well as descriptive words.

Activity Two Use selected information from The Making of Mount Everest Factsheet and animated web-site to explain fundamentals of plate tectonics – http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/earth/birth.html

In simple, diagrammatic form, explain how the Himalayas were formed and use this to explain why you might be able to find the remains of millions of years old marine animals and plants.

How does the climate in the Himalayas compare to the climate in the UK?

Resources The online image gallery

Activity One Brainstorm perception of the weather in the Himalaya region- look at photos and video clips to get visual impression of different weather systems.

Draw up a table to show the differences between the weather and climate in the UK and in the Himalayas.

Activity Two Access weather data from the Met Office web-site and using Excel, draw up graphs to show the differences between temperature in the Himalayas and local area in UK http://www.met-office.gov.uk/

Write a concluding statement about the differences in the weather and state where it would be easier to live and why.

Activity Three Empathetic writing – imagine being caught in a blizzard – write about what it would feel like – how would you escape – what your feelings would be like. The students could do this by annotating appropriate images or drawing in captioned form.

Key question How has the weather affected the lives of the people who live in the area and what effect does it have on tourism?

Resources Factsheet: Who Lives in the Everest region? Activity sheet: The Death Zone The online image gallery

Activity One Find out about the people living in the area – read through the information Who lives in the Everest region? factsheet and look at the images in the gallery.

Discuss why the IPPG was set up and write about why it is important and how it helps the porters.

Sketch a typical scene and annotate it to show how the buildings, clothes and resources have been adapted to suit the local conditions.

Activity Two Consider how the weather affects the tourists to the area – only coming at certain times of year and the equipment and clothing that they have to bring in order to survive. Watch the video-clips of Food and Drink and Climbing and Breathing at 20,000 feet.

Key question

Work through Activity Sheet The Death Zone.

Using websites, produce a detailed list of equipment that would be required by a climber attempting to climb Mt Everest – illustrate with images where appropriate.

Key question How can we plan a successful ascent of Mt Everest?

Resources Factsheet: Reaching the Top Activity sheet: Climbing Mt Everest

Activity One Read the account of the first successful ascent of Everest, Reaching the Top factsheet. Produce a front page newspaper article announcing and describing the great event.

Activity Two A decision making workshop in which children plan an expedition using the Society’s Everest materials. Children adopt different roles of the expedition team members and decide whether or not to climb Mt Everest. Enables the children to research climate, effects of altitude and impact on the local environment using web based research. They are also able to compare modern and past equipment using the Society’s artefacts.

If unable to attend workshop in London, the role playing activity cards from the Downloadable Activity Sheet may be effectively used in school. An extensive list of suitable web-sites to research the information may be found at the end of the Activity Sheet.

Children need to be working in groups of six to plan their own expedition. Give out the role play cares. There are six roles with different responsibilities: leader, lead Sherpa, doctor, reporter/photographer and two climbers. Brainstorm the risks that the teams ace in planning an expedition including climate, altitude, health and safety considerations. Discuss what precautions can be taken to minimise the risks.

The children can use the internet to do their research and answer the questions on their role play cards. They may also use the image gallery and video clips showing some of the early expeditions. They may also use the appropriate factsheet, Who lives in the Everest region?

Groups may then present their plan to the rest of the class and it can be assessed by the teacher and the rest of the class considering:

Has the group carried out sufficient research? Have all possible risks been considered and dealt with? Should they be given funding to carry out research?

How has the environment been changed/affected by exploration and tourism? Resources Factsheet: Tourism in the Everest region Activity Sheet: The Impact of Tourism activity Managing the Mount Everest region

Activity One Use the Tourism in the Everest region factsheet to find information on the good and bad effects of tourism. Using the activity sheet, ask the students to cut and paste the facts into the correct place on the table. Ask the students to vote whether they think tourism is good or bad.

A further activity can be a role play of the different interest groups. Groups can research the background to their situation and stance using the factsheets Who lives in the Everest region and Tourism in the Everest region

Use the Activity Sheet Managing the Mount Everest region to structure the activities.

Key questionti