An Account of The Mount Everest Expedition Records

The Discovery and Naming of Mt. Everest

Mount Everest was discovered in the year 1849. Till then, it was believed that Kanchenjunga was the highest peak in the world. In the year 1852, it was declared that Mt. Everest was the highest peak in the world by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. It took them four more years to discover K2, and finally, in 1856, they declared K2 and Kanchenjunga to be the second and third-highest mountains in the world respectively. During these years, the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India was headed by Andrew Waugh, the Surveyor General of India.

Waugh is also considered responsible for the name Mt. Everest. Sir George Everest, who happened to be his predecessor, the former Surveyor General of India, had a great influence on him. After Waugh was unable to find a local name that was used to address the mountain, he proposed for the peak to be named after Sir George Everest. Initially, the man was reluctant about it, as he had nothing to do with the discovery of the peak. However, later, he agreed, and the mountain was officially named Mount Everest. Tibetan people call it “Chomolungma”, means “Mother Goddess of the World” It is called Sagarmatha, “Forehead of the world” in the Nepali language.

History of Expeditions on Everest

The first expedition to reach the top of the mountain was made by a British Expedition team in 1921. During this time, the foreign nationals were not allowed to enter Nepal, and so, the team chose the Northern route in Tibet to climb to the top of the peak. Unfortunately, they were only able to reach as high as 7000 m. Now, this was an unsuccessful attempt to reach the top of Everest, it paved the way for many future climbers and inspired them to tame this wild beast.

Yet another attempt was made in the year 1922, and this time, the team was able to reach 8320 m. One of the greatest mysteries surrounding Everest is the Expedition of 1924. The members of the team George Mallory and Andrew Irvine did manage to reach a certain height but never returned. This made it impossible to know whether they managed to reach the top of the peak or not. Mallory’s dead body was discovered at the height of 8155 m, in 1991. Finally, the peak was successfully ascended in 1953 by the climbers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.

The Fastest Ascent on Everest

There have been many Everest Climbing records in history, and of the most fascinating ones is the fastest ascent on Everest. Well, the record belongs to Pemba Dorje Sherpa from Nepal. He managed to reach the top of Everest from the base camp in a record time that is 8 hrs 10 min. He made this record in the year 2004, and his name is mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records for this achievement. Now, there is a similar achievement, made not so long ago, and the one who’s considered responsible for this feat is Nirmal Purja, a Nepalese climber

He was a leader of an expedition program called Project Possible 14/7 that targeted all the 14 mountains in the world that were above the height of 8000 m. His objective was to finish climbing all the peaks within a duration of 7 months. It was recorded on May 22, 2019, that he managed to reach the peak of two mountains, namely Everest and Lhotse, on the same day, which should technically give his ascent the title of the fastest one. Now, there were allegations about his climbing techniques, for the use of excessive support, supplement oxygen, and taking shortcuts. So, the title was never given to him, resulting in Pemba still being the record holder.

Deadliest Accident on Mt. Everest

An expedition is a risky activity. There are so many dangers that lurk on the mountain. The intensity of these dangers increases the higher the climbers go. It is crucial that the mountaineers are careful at all times during the climbing process. There have been so many accidents during the numerous Everest expeditions that have occurred in all these years. Some of these are due to the natural calamity that happened on the peak, such as an avalanche or a snowstorm, and the rest is due to the carelessness of the inexperienced climbers. There is one that stands apart.

On April 25, 2015, an 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in Nepal. It was the largest earthquake in the history of Nepal if not the world. Among the thousands of people who lost their lives on that day, also included the 22 climbers who were climbing the mountain on that very day. The earthquake triggered an enormous avalanche that happened to kill all the 22 climbers. Among the numerous accidents that have occurred on Everest, this one is considered as the deadliest one. It is counted as one of the unwanted Everest records that no one looks forward to.

Oldest Summiters on Mount Everest

So many climbers have managed to reach the top of Mount Everest. These climbers belong to different age groups, nationalities, and ethnic backgrounds. It’s especially fascinating to notice a senior citizen summiting this great white giant. Among all the Everest Climbing records, one of the most interesting one is that of the Mount Everest oldest summiteers. The title is owned by Yiuchiro Miura. He is a Japanese alpinist, who reached the top of the mountain in the year 2013, at the age of 80. The record was held previously by Miura itself, who climbed the peak in 2008.

During that year, his age was 75. A Nepalese climber who goes by the name Min Bahadur Sherchan temporarily broke the record in 2008, when he climbed the peak at the age of 76. Miura also has another record in his name. In the year 1970, he managed to ski down Everest. He was the first person in history to do so. An Academy Award-winning documentary ‘The Man Who Skied Down Everest’ was made featuring this incident and Yuichiro Muira altogether. Yuichiro Muira has held this record thrice. In 2003, he climbed the mountain at the age of 70.

Youngest Summiters on Mount Everest

Quite like the previous Everest records, there are yet another fascinating Everest climbing records. It’s titled youngest summiteers on Mount Everest. At the moment, Jordan Romera from the United States holds the record of climbing the mountain at the youngest age. He climbed Mount Everest in the year 2010. At that time, he was 13 years and 10 months old. Quite close to this record is the one set by Malavath Purna. She is an Indian climber who happened to reach the top of Mount Everest at the age of 13 years and 11 months. She climbed the peak in 2013.

Another climber who managed to set the world record was Tempa Tsheri. He climbed the peak at the age of 16 in the year 2001. His expedition was a bit tragic as he happened to lose 5 fingers during the climbing process due to the frostbite. A young climber who goes by the name Akash Chaddha is also among the youngest climbers to reach the peak. He climbed the peak at the age of 17, in the year 2013. Two other teenagers on the list include Ming Kipa from Nepal and Dicky Dolma from India. They climbed the peak at the age of 15 and 19 respectively.

Differently-abled Everest Summiters

There has been a history of summiteers reaching the top of Everest despite their physical abnormalities. Climbing Everest is a tough task for people who don’t have all their limbs and organs in the right places. It’s quite fascinating to realize that these brave souls were somehow able to climb the mountain successfully. The most recent climbing done by a Differently-abled individual was in the year 2018. Xia Bou, an alpinist from China, managed to reach the top of the peak despite having both of his legs amputated in the recent past. Xia Bou is also a cancer survivor.

The first Differently-abled to reach the top of the mountain was Tom Whittaker. He was a mountaineer from the USA. He summited Everest in the year 1998. Yet another American hero who managed to climb Everest was Erik Weihenmayer. He reached the top despite being blind!

Mount Everest Death Statistics

One of the saddest records on Mt. Everest is the one related to death statistics. So many climbers have perished on the mountain, whether in terms of ascending to the top or in terms of descending to the base camp. It’s tragic to realize that all these people have perished performing a task so noble. The deaths have occurred sometimes due to calamities on the peak such as an avalanche or a serac, or it has occurred due to physical conditions such as altitude sickness, cardiac arrest, or cerebral edema. The individuals dying on Everest belonged to different backgrounds. Some of them were scientists, engineers, and other doctors.

Some dead bodies have gained quite a recognition, and so they have been named. The most famous ones include Sleeping Beauty, Green Boots, and The German Lady. The first corpse belonged to an American climber Francys Arsentiev, the second one belonged to an Indian alpinist Tsewang Paljor, and the third one belonged to a German mountaineer Hannelore Schmatz. In the same way, quite young climbers have also perished while climbing the peak.

The youngest alpinist to die on the peak is Rahul Panchal. He was 19 years old at the time of his death. He was one of those unlucky climbers who lost their lives on the mountain on April 25, 2019, as a result of the Avalanche triggered by the great earthquake. Another young climber to die on the peak happens to be Ang Chidim. He died in 1982. At the time of his death, he was 20 years old. Sethuraman was yet another mountaineer from India who lost her life on the peak. She died on the mountain in 2020. At the time of her death, she was only 21 years old.

Solo Mt. Everest Climbing

Climbing is an activity that requires a lot of support. It is for the same reason that climbers tend to be accompanied by the Sherpas, who help them during the climbing process. Now, there have been individuals who were able to reach the top of the peak solo, i.e. without an expedition team. And the most fascinating thing is that there are records on Mt. Everest even in this context. The record of the first solo Mt. Everest climbing is held by an Italian mountaineer. Reinhold Messner. He managed to reach the top of the mountain on his own in the year 1980.

Reinhold Messner is also the holder of other notable records related to mountaineering and different forms of long journeys. For starters, he is the first individual in history to ascend all the 14 peaks that are 8000+ meters tall. He is the first individual to cross the entire continent of Antarctica, and the country of Greenland on his own. He has also crossed the Gobi desert on his own. Reinhold Messner has climbed Mt. Everest twice. The first time he did it was with an Austrian climber Peter Habeler. It was during the second time when he made the record.

Summit Mt. Everest Without Oxygen

One of the features of the mountain that acts as a huge obstacle for the climbers is the oxygen. At such an altitude, the percentage of oxygen in the air is quite low. It is recommended that the climbers carry supplemental oxygen with them. Lack of oxygen in the body can cause the climbers to make wrong decisions. The condition may also cause permanent damage to the brain. Now, there are Everest summit records in this area as well, as there have been climbers who have managed to reach the top of the mountain without the help of supplemental oxygen.

The first person to summit Mount Everest without the help of supplemental oxygen was Reinhold Messner.The same Italian climber who holds the Everest Summit records of reaching the top of the peak solo. As a matter of fact, he’s climbed Everest twice, and both the times he did so without the help of supplemental oxygen. He climbed Everest for the first time in the year 1978, and the second time he did so was in the year 1980. There have been quite a few successful attempts when it comes to climbing the peak without supplemental oxygen.

Longest Time Spent On The Top of Mt. Everest

There are so many reasons that motivate the mountaineers to reach the top of the world. The sense of achievement, worldwide fame, all the recognition, and so on! However, one of the most crucial reasons why anyone would want to travel to the top of Everest is to enjoy the most beautiful and outstanding views of the world from here. It is said that there is nothing that compares to this one. Now, there is a Mount Everest summit record made in this aspect as well.

A fascinating Mount Everest Summit record is that of the longest time spent on the top of the mountain. The record is held by a Nepali Climber known as Babu Chhiri Sherpa. He spent around 21 hours on the summit of Everest, and he did so without falling asleep or the use of supplemental oxygen. He made the record during the expedition which he went for in 1991.

Youngest Female on Mt. Everest

When it comes to making Mt. Everest Climbing record, well, females are not at all behind. The record of the youngest female on Mount Everest is held by Malavath Purna. She is an Indian alpinist and she reached the top of Everest in the year 2014. During that time, she was only 13 years and 11 months old. Malavath Purna also happens to be the second youngest person overall to reach the top of Mount Everest. She fell short of only one month from becoming the youngest person to hold this Mt. Everest Climbing record. There have been so many other females in the climbing history who managed to reach the top of the peak despite their age.

The second youngest female to reach the top of Mount Everest is Ming Kipa. She is a Nepali mountaineer, and she happened to climb to the top of the mountain in the year 2003. At that time, she was only 15 years old. The third youngest female to reach the top of Mount Everest was Dicky Dolma. She is an Indian climber, and she successfully climbed Mount Everest in the year 1993. At that time, she was 19 years and one month old.

First Female Mt. Everest Summiteer

There have been quite a few females in history who were able to reach the top of Everest and return to the base camp safely. Some of them were even able to make a climbing record on Mt Everest. The record of the first female Mt. Everest summiteer is held by Junko Tabei. She is a mountaineer from Japan, and she made this record in the year 1975. The second female to ever reach the top of Everest was Panthong. She belonged to the Chinese Expedition team, and she also scaled the peak in 1975. The female mountaineers have held numerous other climbing records on Mt Everest. 

For instance, the record of the highest number of ascents on Mt. Everest by a female is held by Huliwanna Scroggins. She is an American climber, and she has successfully climbed Mount Everest for a record 9 times. Lhakpa Sherpa, a climber from Nepal, also shares the same record. She’s also managed to successfully climb Everest 9 times. Santosh Yadav, an Indian climber, held the record for a brief amount of time. She managed to reach the top of Everest twice so far. Now, it takes a lot to reach the top of this enormous giant once, and doing it all over again is a whole different level of challenge altogether.

First Mt. Everest Winter Summiter

One of the most fascinating list of Everest record is that of the first Mt. Everest winter summiteer. Expeditions on Mount Everest are organized during the month of spring, as during other times of the year, it’s risky and environmentally challenging to climb the peak. However, there have been individuals who’ve climbed the mountain even during winter, and there is a record related to this in the list of Everest records. So, the first person to climb Mt. Everest during the winter season was Andrzej Zawada, who belonged to the Polish Expedition team. He reached the top of the mountain in 1980, and he did that during the month of February, which is a cold month.

First Mt. Everest Summer Summiter

Expedition is an activity that is generally organized during the spring season or summer months. It is natural for an expedition record to be made during this time of the year. The first successful climbing on Mount Everest was carried out by Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa of Nepal. They reached the top of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, which makes them the first Mt. Everest summer summiteers. This is yet another amazing type of Everest record, as it takes us to the beginning when the first Everest record was made.

Everest Base Camp Records

Quite like the records associated with climbing Mount Everest, there have been quite a few Everest Base Camp Record. The Everest Base Camp Record is basically about journeys made to the Everest Base Camp. So, one of the most amazing ones is the record of the fastest run from the Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu. The distance was covered in 63 days on foot, and the person who holds the record is Lizzy Hawker from the United Kingdom. In the same way, the youngest individual to be on the Base Camp is Ksenia de Cos, a European tri-citizen. 

She was 11 months old at the time when she was brought to the bamp. She was brought along with her sister Ksenia de Cos, who happened to be only 3 years old at the time. They made the record in 2018. Lia also holds the record of being the youngest trekker to trek to the Everest Base Camp. In the same way, James O'Donnell, Tobin O'Donnell and Aidan O'Donnell hold the record of being the youngest group of siblings to trek to the Everest Base Camp. They made the record in 2016, and during that time, they were 6, 8, and 11 years old respectively.

Everest Marathon Record

Mt. Everest Marathon is an exciting event that is organized every year in the Khumbu region of Nepal. The event takes place at an altitude above 3565 m in the Everest region. The event was organized for the first time in the year in 1985 to honor Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary, the people who climbed Mount Everest for the first time. Since then, it has become an annual tradition. Now, there is also a Mt. Everest Marathon Record. One of the famed Marathon runners who participated in this event is Bhim Bahadur Gurung. He was the winner in the marathon organized in 2015 and was a runner-up in the years 2014 and 2016.

Bhim Bahadur Gurung has also participated in other marathon events around the world, namely the Skyrunning World Series in Italy, the Northpole Marathon, and the Skyrunning World Series in China. For the latter one, he holds the record of 3 hr 6 min 51 sec. He also won the former two competitions scoring first positions. He was recently inducted into the Everest Marathon Hall of Fame.

Conclusion:

The fact that Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world is the main reason why alpinists from all over the world look forward to one day reaching the top of this giant, and most probably, set a record in the process. The Mt. Everest Records mentioned above are a few of the most significant ones ever made. The individuals who made these records, though a few of them lost their lives in the process, the others got worldwide fame and recognition. And why not! It’s one thing to reach the top of Mt. Everest, and another to create Mount Everest Records.

If you are a professional climber, who is looking for a yet another adventurous mountaineering trip to go for, well, Mt. Everest can prove to be an ideal option for you. You would not just get to experience an amazing rush of feelings as you reach the top, but also get your name written in golden letters, as someone who reached the summit, and conquered this great white giant.