Mount Everest: The Highest Mountain

Mount Everest, located on the border of Nepal and China, reaches an altitude of 8,848 meters high holding the record for the highest peak altitude in the world. This measurement was settled on in 2010 after Nepal and China argued about whether the number should be calculated based on rock height alone or snow height included. After recent discovery that the mountain is continuing to grow at a rate of 4 millimeters every year, both countries’ measurements may now be outdated.

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Although Mount Everest has the highest peak altitude, it is not the highest mountain in the world. Muana Kea, a volcano located in Hawaii, surpasses it by almost a mile when measured from its base at the ocean floor to the tip.

The first recorded attempt to summit Mount Everest was in 1921, but the first successful summit wasn’t completed until 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norggay. Since then, there has been massive traffic on the mountain hiking the feat. In 2012 alone, there were 234 successful trekkers.

The high volume of climbers has its problems, though. Each season the mountain collects up to 50 tons of litter and waste from those hiking, not to mention corpses of those that don’t make it. In 2008, The Eco Everest Expedition started cleaning up the mountain, but have only been able to clear a little over 13 tons of waste. The Nepalese government also implemented a law in 2014 that climbers must bring down at least 18 lbs. of waste on their decent lest they lose their $4,000 deposit.

Since 1924, 282 people have died while attempting the climb, but despite the risk there have been 7,001 summits on all routes by 4,093 different people.

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