George Mallory

2008-09-03T19:06:02Z

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'''George Mallory''' was a [[British]] mountain climber who perished while attempting to reach the top of [[Mount Everest]] on June 8, 1924. He and another climber, Andrew Irvine, were lost in bad weather on that day and not heard from again. Mallory was 38 years old at the time of his disappearance, and had made two previous attempts to summit the mountain. In 1999 an expedition found his body on Mt. Everest's North face about 27,000 feet up. It is not known whether he or his climbing partner reached the top of Everest before perishing on the mountain. Famous Quote: When asked why he climbed Mount Everest, Mallory replied: "because it is there."

==References==

* http://www.who2.com/georgemallory.html
* http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/lost/mystery/
* Book: "The Wildest Dream - The Biography of George Mallory" by Peter Gillman and Leni Gillman
*[http://www.everest1953.co.uk/MalloryIrvine.html Short biography of George Mallory]
{{DEFAULTSORT: Mallory, George}}
[[Category: Mountain Climbers]]

Mount Everest

2008-09-03T19:03:16Z

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[[Image:mount_everest.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Mount Everest]]

The summit of '''Mount Everest''', or '''Qomolangma''', is the highest point on Earth, at 29,035 ft (8,850 m). (The formerly accepted elevation of 29,028 ft (8,848 m), established in the early 1950s, was recalculated in the late 1990s to be 29,035 ft.) <ref> http://www.mounteverest.net/ </ref>

It is is part of the [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] mountain range and is located on the border between [[Nepal]] and [[Tibet]].

== Name ==

Mount Everest, once known as Peak 15, was named after [[Sir George Everest]], the British surveyor-general of [[India]] in 1865. In Nepal, Mt Everest is called "Sagarmatha" which translates roughly as "goddess of the sky" and in Tibet it is called "Qomolangma" which translates to "mother of the universe". <ref> http://www.mnteverest.net/history.html </ref>

== Notable Climbers ==

English explorer [[George Mallory]] disappeared in 1924 while attempting to summit the mountain. His body was discovered below Everest's peak in 1999. It is unclear whether or not he was successful in climbing to the top of the mountain before he died.

[[Sir Edmund Hillary]] and Tenzing Norgay are credited with the first successful ascent on May 29,1953.

Another notable climber is [[Reinhold Messner]], who made the first solo ascent on Aug. 20,1980, after a prior successful summit two years earlier with his partner Peter Habeler, made without supplemental oxygen.

The first female to climb Everest was a Japanese climber named Junko Tabei. She summited on May 16th, 1975.

== Climbing Mt Everest ==

Climbers can approach Mt Everest from either Tibet or Nepal. The two most often used climbing routes are the southeast ridge from Nepal and the northeast ridge from Tibet. The southeast ridge is considered to be easier to climb and is preferred by many climbers.

Climbers are required to have valid permits to climb issued by the Nepalese or Tibet government.

Many climbers these days are part of commercial expeditions, although some climbers choose to climb alone. Most commercial expeditions employ local residents to assist in the climb, often Sherpas, who live in the Khumbu, the national park surrounding Everest, and are adapted to the high altitude. Sherpas with experience climbing the mountain can offer valuable assistance in many tasks, carrying gear and equipment, setting up camps, laying out routes, fixing ropes for the climb, and acting as guides and assisting climbers.

The climb itself is difficult and takes much planning if it is to be successful. Climbers must take into consideration the weather conditions, and few climb without supplemental oxygen.

Typically, the expedition will take several weeks or longer. A Base camp is usually established near the bottom of the mountain, then 3 to 4 camps at higher levels. At each camp, climbers spend several days in "acclimatization" to get used to the higher altitude. Climbing at high altitudes can be dangerous and without proper acclimatization can cause serious, life threatening medical conditions, including High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) which are caused by fluid collecting in the lungs and brain.

Other medical problems that can occur while climbing the mountain include [[frostbite]], snow blindness and [[hypothermia]].

Many times, weather will be the deciding factor in whether or not the climbers will be able to summit the mountain (reach the top).

The top of Everest is always covered in snow, and a strong wind constantly blows.

Most summit attempts are made from late March through May before the summer [[monsoon]] season begins. <ref> http://www.answers.com/topic/mount-everest </ref>

== Expeditions ==

In 1996 members of three commercial expeditions were stranded high on the mountain during a blizzard, and several climbers lost their lives on the mountain, including veteran climbers [[Scott Fischer]] and [[Rob Hall]] who owned the commercial expedition companies. One survivor, [[Jon Krakauer]] wrote a book about the tragedy, called ''[[Into Thin Air]]''.

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen2/full22.html 360-degree image (not live) taken from atop Mount Everest]
*[http://www.everest1953.co.uk All about the British on Mount Everest]

[[Category:Mountains|Everest, Mount]]

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George Mallory

Mount Everest