Mount Everest Trivia | 40 facts about the highest mountain

Mount Everest is Earth’s highest mountain above sea level, and the China–Nepal border runs across its summit point.

Let’s find out more about Mount Everest!

1. Mount Everest is Earth’s highest mountain above sea level.
2. It is located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas.
3. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point.
4. Its elevation (snow height) of 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) was most recently established in 2020 by the Chinese and Nepali authorities.
5. Mount Everest attracts many climbers, including highly experienced mountaineers.
6. There are two main climbing routes, one approaching the summit from the southeast in Nepal (known as the “standard route”) and the other from the north in Tibet.
7. While not posing substantial technical climbing challenges on the standard route, Everest presents dangers such as altitude sickness, weather, and wind, as well as significant hazards from avalanches and the Khumbu Icefall. As of 2019, over 300 people have died on Everest, many of whose bodies remain on the mountain.
8. Mount Everest from 12,007m.
9. The first recorded efforts to reach Everest’s summit were made by British mountaineers.
10. As Nepal did not allow foreigners to enter the country at the time, the British made several attempts on the north ridge route from the Tibetan side.
11. After the first reconnaissance expedition by the British in 1921 reached 7,000 m (22,970 ft) on the North Col, the 1922 expedition pushed the north ridge route up to 8,320 m (27,300 ft), marking the first time a human had climbed above 8,000 m (26,247 ft).
12. The 1924 expedition resulted in one of the greatest mysteries on Everest to this day: George Mallory and Andrew Irvine made a final summit attempt on 8 June but never returned, sparking debate as to whether or not they were the first to reach the top.
13. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first official ascent of Everest in 1953, using the southeast ridge route.
14. Norgay had reached 8,595 m (28,199 ft) the previous year as a member of the 1952 Swiss expedition.
15. The Chinese mountaineering team of Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo, and Qu Yinhua made the first reported ascent of the peak from the north ridge on 25 May 1960.
16. Everest is more than 60 million years old.
17. The mountain was formed when India’s continental plate crashed into Asia.
18. India’s plate was pushed under Asia which resulted in a huge mass of land upwards, and it gave birth to the world’s highest mountain range; the mighty Himalayas.
19. According to the scientists, the height of Everest might have changed following the massive earthquake in 2015.
20. Experts are currently in the process of re-measuring the tallest mountain.
21. Everest was first discovered by Sir George Everest in 1841. He named it Peak 15. But in 1865, the name of the mountain was changed to Everest in honour of Sir George Everest.
22. It was originally named Sagarmatha by the Nepalese, which means Goddess of the Sky.
23. On the other hand, Tibetans recognise the mountain as Chomolungma, meaning Goddess Mother of Mountains.
24. Another amazing fact about this wonder of the world is that Everest grows every year! It happens because of the shifting of tectonic plates, which pushes the Himalayas upwards.
25. If you thought scaling Everest is a difficult task just physically, then you definitely know the cost of climbing the mountain.
26. It can be financially draining as well as the average cost of scaling the world’s highest peak is around $ 45000 (nearly INR 33,80,415).
27. Born 1970 in Solukhumbu, Nepal, Kami Rita Sherpa is a guide who is known for holding the record for most ascents to Everest (till March 2021). He has scaled Everest 25 times since 1994!
28. It is over 60 million years old
29. Everest was formed by the movement of the Indian tectonic plate pushing up and against the Asian plate
30. Everest grows by about a quarter of an inch (0.25″) every year
31. It consist of different types of shale, limestone and marble
32. The rocky summit is covered with deep snow all year long
33. The first woman to summit Everest was Junko Tabei of Japan in 1975
34. The oldest woman to summit was Japanese Tamae Watanabe, age 73, in 2012 from the north
35. The youngest woman to summit was Indian Malavath Poorna, 13 years 11 months on May 25, 2014 from the north side
36. 699 women have summited through June 2019
37. Nepali, Lakpa Sherpani holds the women’s summit record with eight (1 South, 7 north)
38. Whether the mountain was climbed in ancient times is unknown
39. In 2006, 12 people died. One death in particular triggered an international debate and years of discussion about climbing ethics.
40. The season was also remembered for the rescue of Lincoln Hall who had been left by his climbing team and declared dead, but was later discovered alive and survived being helped off the mountain.