Walking on Everest Yandex maps. Himalayas: virtual journey to Everest. Ecology: garbage left by climbers, bodies of the dead

The Himalayas are the highest (8848 m) mountain system on Earth. Everest is part of the Himalayas, which in turn separate the Indian tectonic and Asian (Tibetan Plateau) plates.
Hence the sharply defined climatic natural boundary between the mountain deserts of Central Asia and the tropical landscapes of South Asia.

Everest attracts climbers from all over the world. The most popular routes to the top are the northern side (from Tibet) and the southwestern side (from Nepal).
For ordinary tourists, the purpose of travel is base camp. All mountaineering expeditions are located here for acclimatization to the next level of ascent.

You can get to the camp in Tibet at a height of 5149 by jeep in just a couple of days.
From Nepal, tourists will have to walk to the foot of Everest for about a week. However, this route is full of unforgettable mountain views and magnificent nature of different climatic zones.

Technologies for using high-resolution spherical 3D panoramas with a 360° view will help us travel to Everest in the Himalayas and make virtual trip with maximum presence effect.

Everest from the plane (shrimpo1967 / flickr.com) Everest (Neil Young / flickr.com) Mount Everest from Base Camp (Rupert Taylor-Price / flickr.com) Mount Everest, Base Camp and Rongbuk (Göran Höglund (Kartläsarn) / flickr. com) Top of Qomolungma (jo cool / flickr.com) View of Everest (Christopher Michel / flickr.com) cksom / flickr.com Mahatma4711 / flickr.com McKay Savage / flickr.com ilker ender / flickr.com Fred Postles / flickr. com Jeff P / flickr.com Everest in the clouds (Jean-François Gornet / flickr.com) utpala ॐ / flickr.com View of Everest from an airplane (Xiquinho Silva / flickr.com) Rick McCharles / flickr.com Climbing Everest (Rick McCharles / flickr.com) Everest Base Camp - Gorak Shep - Nepal (lampertron / flickr.com) akunamatata / flickr.com Summit of Mount Qomolungma (Everest) (TausP. / flickr.com) Denn Ukoloff / flickr.com Mount Everest (Christopher Michel / flickr.com) Returning from Everest Base Camp (valcker / flickr.com) Everest and Nuptse (smallufo / flickr.com) Stefanos Nikologianis / flickr.com

Everest or Chomolungma is the highest in the world Mountain peak. It is located in the Himalayas, on the border of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Geographical coordinates Mount Everest: 27°59′17″ north latitude and 86°55′31″ east longitude.

The height of Chomolungma is 8848 meters above sea level. For comparison, the height of Elbrus, the highest point in Russia, is only 5642 meters above sea level, i.e. at 3206 m below Chomolungma.

The first ascent of Everest was made on May 29, 1953 by New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

The mountain is best known throughout the world as "Everest". The peak was named after George Everest, who was the chief surveyor of British India in the 1830s and 40s.

Mount Everest (Christopher Michel / flickr.com)

Interestingly, the mountain was so named during Everest’s lifetime, about a year before his death. The name was suggested by a student of a scientist who calculated the exact height of the peak and thereby proved that it is the highest on Earth. Before this, the peak was also known as "Peak XV".

The traditional Tibetan name for the peak is Chomolungma, which can be translated as “mistress of the winds.” This name is widely used in Russian cartography, but in Western countries it is not very well known, as it is considered quite difficult to pronounce.

On maps published in our country, the peak is usually signed as “Qomolungma”, and the name “Everest” is indicated in brackets. The traditional Nepalese name for the mountain is also Sagarmatha.

Where is Mount Everest (Qomolungma)?

Almost every child knows where Everest is today. If you look at geographical map, then you can see that it is located in the highest mountain system on Earth - the Himalayas, on the border of Nepal and China.

Everest coordinates: 27°59′17″ N and 86°55′31″ E. Mount Everest is part of the Mahalangur Himal range; the Nepalese part is located within the Sagarmatha Park.

Summit of Everest

The top of Mount Chomolungma looks like a pyramid with three almost flat sides. The southern slope is steeper; snow and ice hardly even linger on it, northern slope- somewhat better.

The relative height of the mountain is approximately 3550 m. The South Col Pass, whose height reaches 7906 meters above sea level, connects Everest with Mount Lhotse (8516 m), and the North Col Pass (7020 m) with Mount Changtse (7553 m). Most mountaineering routes pass through these two passes.

Geographical characteristics

The Khumbu Glacier is located in the basin between the peaks of Chomolungma and Lhotse. Below it turns into the icefall of the same name, which is considered the most dangerous section when climbing through the South Wing.

View of Everest (Christopher Michel / flickr.com)

This can be explained by the fact that the icefall is almost constantly in motion. To pass this place, climbers use various ladders and railings.

Below the icefall, the glacier continues again and ends only at an altitude of 4600 meters. Its total length is 22 km.

Another notable feature of the local topography is the Kangshung Wall. This is the eastern wall of the summit of Mount Qomolungma, whose height is 3350 meters and the width of the base is about 3000 meters.

At the foot of the wall there is a glacier of the same name. Climbing to the top along the Kangshung Wall is significantly more dangerous compared to standard routes.

Everest in the clouds (Jean-François Gornet / flickr.com)

Climate - what time of year is suitable for conquering Everest?

The summit of Everest is characterized by extremely unfavorable climatic conditions. There are often very strong winds here, blowing at speeds of more than 50 meters per second.

The temperature at the top never goes above 0 degrees. The average July temperature is minus 19 degrees, and average temperature January - 36 degrees below zero. On winter nights, temperatures can drop to 50-60 degrees below zero.

What period of the year is best suited to conquer the peak? Based climatic conditions, the most favorable time for climbing is the beginning of May. At this time, the winds here are usually the least strong.

How was Everest formed?

The history of the formation of Everest is closely connected with the history of the formation of the Himalayas, which dates back many millions of years ago and stems from global geological processes.

Top of Chomolungma (jo cool / flickr.com)

About 90 million years ago, the Indian Plate broke away from the giant continent of Gondwana and began to move north quite quickly.

The speed of movement reached twenty centimeters per year, which is significantly greater than the speed of movement of any other plate of the earth's crust. About 50-55 million years ago, the Indian Plate began to collide with the Eurasian Plate.

As a result of this collision, the Eurasian plate was greatly deformed - a vast mountain belt was formed, the highest part of which is the Himalayas.

At the same time, the sedimentary rocks that previously made up the bottom of the ancient ocean were crushed into huge folds and often ended up at enormous heights. This explains the fact that the summit of Everest is composed of sedimentary rocks.

Everest Education Scheme

Today the Indian Plate continues to move in northeast direction, deforming the Eurasian plate. In this regard, mountain-building processes in the Himalayas continue.

Height mountain system in general and individual peaks in particular continues to slowly increase by several millimeters per year.

During large earthquakes, changes in the height of an area can occur almost instantly and be much more significant.

Ecology: garbage left by climbers, bodies of the dead

The environmental situation on Mount Chomolungma leaves much to be desired. During the ascents, a huge amount of garbage accumulated on its slopes.

As of 2007, the Tibetan section of the mountain alone contains about 120 tons of various debris left by climbers. It is not entirely clear how to remove garbage from the slopes.

In the last few years, attempts have been made to collect waste, but this has clearly not been enough. Another problem is the evacuation and burial of the bodies of deceased climbers.

A rather interesting fact is that the water on the highest peak in the world boils at a temperature of only +68 °C. You'll probably ask: why? This is because the atmospheric pressure here is only a third of the normal pressure at sea level.
Another interesting fact– this is the gradual growth of the mountain. Indeed, the height of Chomolungma increases every year by 3 to 6 millimeters. The same trend is characteristic of all the Himalayas, which is explained by the ongoing processes of mountain building and the associated rise of the territory.
I would also like to mention such an interesting fact that Everest is highest point world, only if we take into account the height from the level of the world's oceans. Thus, the Mauna Kea volcano on the island of Hawaii rises 10,203 meters relative to the ocean floor, while its height above sea level is only 4,205 meters.

A place with a view of Everest

Thanks to the efforts of the www.AirPano.com team, it became possible virtual walk by Everest. AirPano specializes in virtual tours captured in high definition from a bird's eye view. Below is a panorama overlooking Everest.

The focus, of course, is on the winter expedition organized by Basque mountaineer Alex Txikon. The team suffered losses. Including one irreparable one: a liaison officer assigned to the expedition died of acute mountain sickness. Carlos Rubio left the expedition due to illness. He's already home. So Chikon’s only partners were the Sherpas, and he was very pleased with them. Although the Sherpas will continue to try

Alex and three Sherpas at camp 7800. Norbu, Nuri, Chepal

Film crew

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At the moment, we already have as much visual information on Everest as, perhaps, on no other natural object peace. Yandex did its best for the Russians with panoramic photography. His work was carried out as part of the expedition of the 7 Summits Club.

Who hasn't seen it yet?

The Swiss company, manufacturer of alpine equipment, Mammut has been surprising the world with its multimedia products for several years: unique staged photographs, videos, sponsorship of sports feats, etc...

Last year the Swiss financed the filming Southern route to Everest South route of Mount Everest in 360°: http://project360.mammut.ch

The filming was carried out by the Sherpa guides Lakpa Sherpa and Pemba Rinji Sherpa. They were assisted by assistants Kusang Sherpa and Ang Kaji Sherpa

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Watch in February on the Travel Channel: New show “Journey to Everest.”

The summit of Everest is the ultimate dream of any climber and avid traveler. The highest mountain on Earth fascinates people from all over the world not only with its size and grandeur, but also with its unique, rugged beauty. Conquer the famous mountain, show it to Travel Channel viewers and help climbers and local residents, in trouble, the doctor Jeff Evans and his team solve the problem in the show “Journey to Everest” (6+), according to a press release received by the editors of Planet Today.

On their way, they will have to save more than one life, withstand harsh weather conditions and climb higher and higher... Follow the incredible adventures of Jeff and his team - every Thursday at 23:00, from February 2.

Geoff Evans is a doctor well known among climbers. During his career, he has helped many athletes - skiers and hikers - cope with work-related injuries. And in 2001, he contributed to the conquest of Everest by blind climber Eric Weihenmeyer, who set a record with his ascent.

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Everest 2017 - there will be a new height!

The Indian government has announced its intention to measure the height of Mount Everest to assess whether it has changed as a result of the strong earthquakes in Nepal in 2015. An official from the Indian Institute of Geodesy and Cartography said the expedition would be sent to the world's highest mountain within two months. At the same time, satellite data showed that the height of the mountain changed under the influence of the earthquake. According to the Indian initiators of the measurements, the last time Everest was measured was 62 years ago, and then the height of the mountain was 8848 meters. However, it should be said that this is not entirely true. Over the past quarter century the highest mountain measured different ways repeatedly. And the results invariably turned out to be different: from 8844 meters for the Chinese, to 8850 meters for Italian researchers. To avoid unnecessary confusion, it was agreed at the diplomatic level that the notional height of 8848 would be retained on maps and in official documents. So, most likely, the Indians will receive new heights, but it will not be used anywhere. Nevertheless, the measurements have a certain scientific interest, including in developing precise measurement techniques.

In this study, the Indians will collaborate with the Nepalese government to determine as accurately as possible the impact of the past earthquake. The height of Everest will be estimated using a combination of GPS measurements and various geodesy techniques. The team of scientists who will explore Everest consists of 30 people. About a month will be spent on various types of measurements, and another 15 days may be required for calculations before announcing the results.

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Increase in prices for permits from the Chinese authorities

The low cost of climbing permits from the North is a thing of the past. This year, the cost of permits for Tibetan peaks will be raised by about 30%. The cost of permits to Everest itself in a group increases from $7,000 to $9,950 for each person in the team - an increase of 34%.

It should be clarified that this price includes quite a large number of services that must be paid for one way or another:

transport to base camp, hotels along the way, liaison officer services, garbage collection, yaks for transporting cargo to ABC camp.

The cost of a permit from the South in a group is $11,000.

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Min Bahadur Sherchan began raising funds to participate in a new expedition to Everest. The former oldest Everest climber turns 86 next year. And the Nepalese intends to take the record from his rival, the current record holder of the Japanese Yuichiro Miura, who rose to the top at the age of 80. Miura himself decided to “skip this height”; he said that he would go to Everest again when he turns 90 years old.

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Another attempt to visualize Everest - a video edited by Summit Climb

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Photographs from the first English expeditions will be auctioned on February 3. The original slides, made by members of the 1922 expedition, were discovered 40 years ago by a school teacher. And now it's time for them to go on sale. Each slide is initially valued at £2,000.

Nepal is blessed with unusual sights. Not only is the country known as the birthplace of Buddha; Most of the highest peaks in the world are located here, 8 of the 14 “eight-thousanders”. These include the tallest mountain on the planet - Everest.

She is also known by the name "Chomolungma": translated from Tibetan - "Divine Mother of Life". The international name “Everest” was given to the mountain in honor of the head of the geodetic survey of British India, Sir George Everest, simply because it was the employees of this institution who first measured the height of Chomolungma in 1852, proving that its Peak XV is the highest in the region and, probably, in the whole world .

True, with the height of Everest, not everything is so obvious. The Indian mathematician and topographer Radhanat Sikdar (an employee of that same service), based on trigonometric calculations and being 240 kilometers from Chomolungma, only suggested that this is the most high peak in the world. Practical calculations made 4 years later gave a figure of 29,002 feet (8840 meters), proving the theory.

And then Everest was measured repeatedly, and from time to time it “increased” - up to 8872 meters, depending on the methods. Currently, the officially recognized level is 8848 meters above sea level, of which four meters are covered by the snow cap.

Here, in the world of rocks, snow and eternal ice, frosts down to minus 60 °C prevail, and at the top strong winds blow at speeds of up to 200 km/h. At an altitude of 7925 meters, the so-called “death zone” begins, where only 30% of oxygen is concentrated. Add to this the constant ice falls and avalanches - and it becomes obvious why no one could climb to the top for quite a long time. And even now, despite progress and all kinds of technologies, the ascent takes an average of two months, since it is done in stages: with the installation of a camp for acclimatization.

Another difficulty in conquering Chomolungma was that the mountain lies on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet). From time to time, either Nepal or China, or even both states at the same time, were closed to foreigners. One way or another, the first ascent was made on May 29, 1953 by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillar, after a numerous series of failures of previous expeditions.

The mountain has several names. The most common is Everest, named after the Englishman John Everest, who led the British Indian Survey from 1830 to 1843. In Tibet, the peak is usually called Chomolungma, which means “divine.” In Nepal, the name Sagarmatha, meaning “Mother of the Gods,” stuck.

In total, about 4,000 people have conquered Everest to date - we are talking about those who reached the top. It is impossible to count the number of tourists with their shortened tours. Many of those who reached the very “roof of the world” set various kinds of records. This includes climbing without oxygen cylinders, staying without oxygen for almost a day, and skiing down from Everest... In 2001, blind American Eric Weihenmayer climbed to the top of Everest, in 2006 - Mark Inglis, a climber with two amputated legs. And the first woman to conquer Chomolungma was the Japanese woman Junko Tabei in 1976.

The British had been planning expeditions to Everest since 1893, but due to various reasons the expedition was postponed year after year. Only in 1921 was the first group equipped. The start was taken from Darjeeling. The purpose of the expedition was to explore climbing routes on the northern slope. In subsequent years, the British made more than once attempts to conquer the main peak of the world, but weather and lack of climbing experience prevented them from conquering Everest. The result of these attempts was only the death of several people; the mountain still remained inaccessible...

The desire to conquer the “divine”, after a number of similar unsuccessful campaigns, was repulsed by the British for a long time, and only after the Second World War did people again turn their gaze to the top of the rebellious mountain. Again a number of preliminary expeditions were carried out, the purpose of which was to deliver equipment to the slopes of Everest. These were preparations for the breakthrough of the main group. And so on May 29, 1953, Tenzing Norgam and Edmund Hillary ascended to the top of the world...

However, Everest is, in the full sense of the word, a mountain of death. Storming this height, the climber knows that he has a chance not to return. Death can be caused by lack of oxygen, heart failure, frostbite or injury. Fatal accidents, such as a frozen oxygen cylinder valve, also lead to death. Moreover: the path to the top is so difficult that, as one of the participants in the Russian Himalayan expedition, Alexander Abramov, said, “at an altitude of more than 8,000 meters you cannot afford the luxury of morality. Above 8,000 meters you are completely occupied with yourself, and in such extreme conditions you do not have extra strength to help your comrade.” The tragedy that happened on Everest in May 2006 shocked the whole world: 42 climbers passed by the slowly freezing Englishman David Sharp, but no one helped him. One of them were television crews from the Discovery Channel, who tried to interview the dying man and, after photographing him, left him alone...

Over all these years of climbing Everest, more than 200 people died, and only a few bodies were lowered from the top. The rest are buried by meters of snow or exposed to the winds and “meet” other climbers on the way to the top. These are the laws of Everest: the higher the altitude, the less humanity remains in people. It happened more than once that a rising group could help those in trouble, but to provide help means ending the campaign, giving up a dream. Many passed by, and when they walked back, help was no longer needed.

Vladimir Vysotsky has a song “ Better than the mountains there can only be mountains,” and that’s true. The only exception is Chomolungma. What does a climber experience when he has conquered the main peak in his life? Joy or disappointment that the main goal has been achieved and there will be “smaller” mountains in the future?!

Initially, the peak was not considered the highest in the world; according to the results of the first topographic survey (1823-1843), it was included in the classifier as peak “XV” (Dhualagiri was in the lead on this list). And only after the second topographic survey (1845-1850) everything fell into place. In 1921, the first expedition to Chomolungma with the aim of reconnaissance of the ascent route from the north, from Tibet. Based on reconnaissance data, the British, under the leadership of Mallory, stormed the peak in 1922, but the monsoon, snowfall and lack of experience in high-altitude ascents did not give them the opportunity to climb. In 1924, the third expedition to Chomolungma. The group spent the night at an altitude of 8125 m, the next day one of the participants (Norton) reached a height of 8527 m, but was forced to return. A few days later, a second attempt was made to storm the north-eastern ridge (a team of Mallory, Irwin using oxygen cylinders), the climbers did not return, there is still an opinion that they could have been on the top of Chomolungma. Subsequent pre-war expeditions to the area did not bring new ones results. In 1952, a Swiss expedition set out to storm Everest from the south. Twice in 1952, Lambert and Norgay Tenzing climbed above 8,000 meters, but in both cases the weather forced them to turn around. In 1953, an English expedition led by Colonel Hunt went to Everest (Qomolungma), and they were also joined by New Zealand climbers, one of whom was E. Hillary, they were supposed to help the British cross the Khumbu Icefall, Sherpa Norgay Tenzing was included in the assault group. There is a legend that the conquest of Everest was being prepared as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her coronation. On May 27, the first two - the Englishmen Evans and Bourdillon reached southern peak, where they left oxygen and a tent for the next assault group. And on May 29, 1953, Sherpa Norgay Tenzing and New Zealander Edmund Hillary reached the summit. On May 8, 1978, R. Messner and P. Habeler accomplished what was considered impossible - the first ascent of Everest without oxygen . Messner described his feelings this way: “In a state of spiritual abstraction, I no longer belonged to myself, to my vision. I am nothing more than a lonely panting lung, floating above the mists and peaks.” On May 16, 1975, the first woman climbed Everest, it was Junko Tabei (Japan). The first ascent of Soviet climbers to the highest peak on Earth took place in May 1982. A Soviet team of 9 people climbed to the top of Everest along a very difficult, previously unclimbed route along the southwest face.

The panorama is made in several resolutions. A high resolution with maximum detail and best quality intended for high speed internet and modern computers, since the panorama size is more than 7 MB. For slow Internet and low-performance computers, we offer a low-resolution panorama of less than 2 MB in size.

This virtual tour also available in other resolutions: - LOW - iPhone - iPad

True, with the height of Everest, not everything is so obvious. Indian mathematician and topographer Radhanat Sikdar (an employee of that same service), based on trigonometric calculations and being 240 kilometers from Chomolungma, only suggested that this is the highest peak in the world. Practical calculations made 4 years later gave a figure of 29,002 feet (8840 meters), proving the theory.

Here, in the world of rocks, snow and eternal ice, frosts down to minus 60 ° C prevail, and at the top strong winds blow at speeds of up to 200 km/h. At an altitude of 7925 meters, the so-called “death zone” begins, where only 30% of oxygen is concentrated. Add to this the constant ice falls and avalanches - and it becomes obvious why no one could climb to the top for quite a long time. And even now, despite progress and all kinds of technologies, the ascent takes an average of two months, since it is done in stages: with the installation of a camp for acclimatization.