MountEverestattracts many climbers, including highly experienced mountaineers.ThesummitofEverestis the point at which Earth'ssurface reaches the greatest distance above sea level. Several other mountains are sometimes claimed to be the "tallest mountains on Earth". If youimaginethesummitof MountEverest, you might picture a quiet, snowy peak far from civilisation.

Understanding the Context

But a striking photo, taken by mountaineer Nirmal Purja, shows how the reality can be a lot more crowded. Francys Arsentiev became The first USA woman to reach thesummitof MountEverestwithout the aid of bottled oxygen. She then died during the descent. The Times e-Paper...

Key Insights

Everesthas now been climbed many times without supplementary oxygen and research conducted on the clothing recovered from Mallory’sbody showsitwas fit for the task in hand. However, every account of the earlyEverestexpeditions tells of how climbers suffered from ‘raging thirst’. MountEverestis the highest of the Himalayan mountains, and—at 8,850 meters (29,035 feet)—is considered the highest point on Earth. Photograph by Barry Bishop, courtesy of the National Geographic image collection. MountEverest, mountain on the crest of the Great Himalayas of southern Asia that lies on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.The first woman tosummitEverestwas the Japanese climber Tabei Junko, who reached the top from the South Col in 1975.

Final Thoughts

Follow a National GeographicEverestexpedition from the eye of a drone. The only one left - MountEverest. Last month, Ennis found herself onEverestabout 200 meters from thesummit, and she decided to turn back. a healthy young climber at thesummitofEverest.