Mount Everest

Climbing Everest has exploded in popularity recently, and, increasingly, many climbers are inexperienced hikers who depend on professional guides. 

Environmentalists call the onslaught of humans a “circus”; others criticize the “cesspit” of garbage, discarded oxygen tanks, and litter left behind. 

Not far above Base Camp, this icefall is considered one of the most dangerous stages of the South Col (the route up Everest from the south). 

The glacier here moves at such high speeds—.9 to 1.2 meters (2.9 to 3.93 feet) per day—that sometimes, without warning, large crevasses open up, or large towers of ice suddenly collapse. 

Remember to take precautions! Above all, always do exactly what your guide tells you to do: they know best. 

The worst climbing accident in the history of Everest occurred on April 18, 2014: 16 high-altitude climbing Sherpas were killed in the Khumbu Icefall. The tragedy happened when an enormous wedge of ice crashed to the slope below. 

Beyond the top of the Khumbu Icefall is Camp I, at 6,065 meters (19,989 feet). At night here, you’ll hear the haunting murmuring and cracking sounds of the crevasses opening and closing deep in the glacier beneath.

You’ll likely spend 10 to 15 days sleeping at Base Camp, sleeping at ever-increasing altitudes, to trick your body into making necessary physiological changes. Of the nearly 7,000 climbers who have summited the mountain, only about 200 have done so without supplemental oxygen.

From Camp II, you’ll ascend the Lhotse face up to Camp III, on a ledge at 7,470 meters. To get  from Camp III to IV, you’ll cross a large rock buttress called the Geneva Spur.  

Some consider the jagged Lhotse the hardest mountain in the world to climb. As of 2008, 371 climbers have summited it; 20 have died trying. Many consider Nuptse and Lhotse one massive massif.

You can see how this glacier cut a path as it moved through the countryside, just below the sixth highest mountain in the world, Cho Oyu (aka “Turquoise Goddess”).  As temperatures warm, this and other glaciers show signs of shrinking. 

Following this historic ascent, Hillary devoted most of his life to helping the Sherpas through an organization he founded called the Himalayan Trust. The trust built many schools and hospitals for the people of Nepal. As you can see here, Hillary’s trust built bridges, too.

You can see why the Bhote Kosi River is popular for rafting and kayaking. It’s the steepest river rafted in Nepal. The river carves a steep gorge in a long, continuous flow that offers a thrilling and intense adrenaline rush.