Everest is on the border of Nepal and Tibet, China, on the high southern lip of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, an area known as "the roof of the world". It is known as the world's highest mountain that once seemed insurmountable.
Now there are more than 4,000 people have stood on the top of Everest over 9,000 times. Due to its harsh cold and low-oxygen environment, Mount Everest is one of the deadliest mountains in the world.
We've collected some interesting and amazing facts about the thrill of Mount Everest as follows.
1. Mount Everest is also called Chomolungma or Sagarmatha
Mount Everest is the highest peak in the Himalayan mountains locates on the border of Nepal and Tibet (China). Mount Everest was given a Tibetan name as Qomolangma or Chomolungma, which means "mother of the earth".
In Nepalis, it was called Sagarmatha which means the "God of the Sky". In western countries, it was named after George Everest, a director of the British Surveyor General of India, who was responsible for surveying the Himalayas in the 19th century. According to his surname's original pronunciation, "Everest" should actually be read as "Eve-rest /ˈiːvrɪst/" , not "Ever-est".
Find out more about Mt. Everest — Nepal-Side and China-Side
2. Mount Everest is NOT the tallest!
Mount Everest is now 8,848.86 meters high. Although Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level, Hawaii's Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain base-to-peak at 10,210m (33,500 ft), but only 4,205m (13,796 ft) is above sea level.
Everest's Summit is not the farthest point from the Earth Center either. The farthest point from the Earth's center is atop Mount Chimborazo (elevation 6,310 m) in Ecuador, South America.
Earth is an obligated spheroid, which bulges at the equator about 21 km radically compared to at the poles.
3. Mount Everest rises 40 cm per century!
The Himalayas are being formed by the uplift of the Eurasian Plate caused by the Indian Plate sliding underneath. Everest grows on average 4 mm (0.2") a year or about 40 centimeters (16 inches) per century.
4. Mount Everest is about 60 million years old.
In 1924, explorer Noel Odell was the first to discover marine fossils on Mount Everest, which proved that the Mount Everest area was originally covered by an ocean.
The limestone and sandstone on the summit were found to be submarine sedimentary rocks formed approximately 450 million years ago.
However, geologists consider that Everest has only been a mountain for about 60 million years, that is since the Indian Plate started being subducted by the Eurasian Plate forming the Himalayas.
Mount Everest must be growing faster now than in the past if that's so, as it would only take about 2 million years for Everest to rise 8,848 meters at recent measurements of 4 mm/year.
5. Mount Everest was first climbed in 1953 (or earlier?)
Mount Everest was first climbed on May 29, 1953, by Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa from Nepal.
However, some believe the summit might have been reached earlier.
In 1924, British climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine made an attempt to conquer Everest, but they were last seen on June 8, when they're ascending the mountain before disappearing into the clouds. Whether they reached the top before perishing remains one of mountaineering's greatest mysteries.
6. Everest has been summited over 11,000 times.
There were more than 5,000 different people who have stood on the top of Everest over 11,000 times.
Kami Rita Sherpa is the person who has climbed Mount Everest the most times. He reached the summit for the 29th time on May 12, 2024.
He has also conquered other peaks higher than 8,000 m in the Himalayas, including Cho-Oyu, Manaslu, Annapurna, and Lhotse.
7. Sherpas are the only people who can climb Mt. Everest without oxygen
Sherpa is a people group who have settled on both sides of the Himalayas. Living in mountainous areas with thin air, a unique physical characteristic has been inherited by the Sherpa people: increased hemoglobin production.
This inherent factor, which allows them to function well in the Himalayas' low-oxygen environment.
Sherpas have become the best guides on Mount Everest. They not only lead the way for the climbers but also many Sherpas help with carrying supplies for the climbers, as well as some rescue items, camping equipment, etc.
Their packs can weigh more than five times as much as ordinary climbers'! A Sherpa guide gets paid US$5,000 upwards for an expedition.
8. There is a "2 o'clock rule" when climbing Mount Everest.
Because of its cold and unpredictable weather, climbers must be sure to get to the summit by 2 pm, or else experience has shown that they should turn back to avoid being caught in the death zone (the area above 8,000 meters) or short of camp in failing light and falling temperatures, not to mention bad weather.
9. About 300 People Have Died on Mount Everest.
The cumulative death rate is about 3-4% [2024], making Everest the 7th deadliest mountain in the world. Dead bodies are a common scene on Mount Everest.
At high altitudes, many climbers suffer from hypothermia and low-oxygen-related conditions such as high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) and high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), which are among the most common causes of death during summit attempts. Avalanches, falls, and exhaustion also contribute to fatalities.
When people die climbing Everest, their bodies are left on the mountain and become landmarks for other mountaineers, as it is a great challenge for anyone to carry/drag the dead bodies down due to the physical effort needed in the low-oxygen environment.
10. It takes 10 weeks and at least 30,000 USD to climb Mount Everest.
The actual climbing time from the lowest base camp to the summit is only a few days, but you have to descend as well. Most of the average 2 months for an expedition is spent acclimating and waiting for suitable conditions to break camp and move on.
The fastest Everest summit record is created by a Nepali climber Pemba Dorje Sherpa, he completed the quick round trip ascent and descent in just 8 hours and 10 minutes in 2004.
It takes at least 30,000 USD /p.p to climb Mount Everest. Everyone has to pay a license fee to the Nepal government of US$15,000 per person [2025] to climb the south face of Everest.
You'd need to spend money on oxygen, equipment, supplies, and transport. You also have to pay the Sherpas in your team and pay for their oxygen tanks, equipment, and services.
Our Everest Base Camp Trek takes in a rewarding 4-day mountain hike from Dingri to Tibet's EBC. It costs a tenth of the price and all oxygen, equipment, supplies, and guide services are included.
11. Oxygen bottle was often stolen on Mount Everest
Some people will find that the oxygen bottle is missing before ascending the summit and they have to go back to the base camp to replenish.
On average an Everest climber will use 7 bottles of oxygen on the way up and down and each bottle lasts about five hours [Nepal National Mountain Guide Association].
12. Tons of human poop are frozen on Mount Everest.
Campaigners for a cleaner Everest estimate that about 8,000kg of human feces have been left on Everest per year (at an average of 800 climbers per year, that's 10 kg each), and it is getting to be a serious environmental and health problem.
Feces does not decompose in the permanently frozen higher altitudes. Climbers are required to carry their feces off the mountain now.
There is no specific place for toileting on Mount Everest above the lowest base camp. Climber's pee and poop in their tents if they can…The frozen ground makes digging latrines impractical and the risk of exposure/frostbite means excreting in a shelter is advisable.
Some climbers carry waste bags and pee bottles for use in their camps, and some wear diapers.
Contact us for a visit to Everest Base Camp. It has a toilet, but there are no toilets further up the mountain.
13. Helicopters can't fly to the top of Mount Everest.
Generally speaking, a helicopter can fly up to altitudes of 5,000 meters. In higher places, like Everest's summit, the low density of the air means that the propellers can no longer achieve lift. Air evacuation is not possible for those high on Everest.
High-performance helicopters can get to the lowest of Everest's base camps (altitude 5,200 m in China; 5,300 m in Nepal), which is the most expensive way to get to or from an EBC.
Today's civil aviation aircraft can fly at altitudes of 8,000–10,000 meters. Flying over Mount Everest is not a problem for a plane, though most don't due to the increased risk of turbulence over high mountains. It is impossible to land on Everest.
The closest (civilian) airport to Everest is Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, Nepal at about 60 km (40 miles) away. Shigatse in Tibet also has a civilian airport, but most people fly into the Tibet side of Everest using the much larger Lhasa Gonggar Airport.
14. Jumping spiders are the only animals permanently based on Mt. Everest
Jumping spiders are the only animals permanently based on Mt. Everest At an altitude of 6,700 meters (22,000 ft), jumping spiders hides in nooks and crevices on the slopes of Everest, making them one of the Earth's highest permanent residents.
Below the altitude of 6,000 meters, animals such as the snow leopard, Himalayan tahr (a goat-like species), and Himalayan yak can be found.
15.Most Everest summits happen in May
Since the first successful ascent in 1953, Mount Everest has been summited around 12,884 times. Most of these successful climbs in history took place in mid to late May, and May is known as the golden time for climbing Mount Everest.
During this short period, the fierce winter storms fade and the monsoon rains have yet to arrive, creating a perfect weather condition for climbing with calm winds and clearer skies.
Every year, hundreds of climbers rush to seize these few precious days to reach the top of the world. You may even see pictures of people waiting in line on the climbing route.
Tours to See Mount Everest
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