Things to Know before climbing MOUNT EVEREST?

Life is too short and the world just too big- while it is impossible to be everywhere it is actually a great deal to be in some grand places. And what better way to leave a mark than conquer the summit itself?

But such great feats do not happen every day with everyone. It wasn’t until 1953 that a climbing duo (New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary and a Nepali Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay) finally succeeded in the attempt to conquer the highest peak in the world. The peak was declared the highest point in the world by the Bengali surveyor Radhanath Sikhdhar in 1852 and named after Sir George Everest, who oversaw the original survey project. But even before all these records were established, the Nepali and Tibetan people living around the Peak knew there was something grand and majestic about the mountain and had named it “ Sagarmatha”(meaning forehead of the sky) and “Chomolungma”(meaning mother goddess of the world) respectively. The innate desire in humans to discover the undiscovered and achieve the unattainable started the craze to summit the highest peak and still continues.

 

The glory of the Mount Everest is so high that even reaching the Base of the mountain through Everest base Camp trek is an adventure of the highest sort.

But it isn’t just a desire or a craze; it could be the most exciting adventure or a notable achievement. About 2200 people have successfully climbed the peak while around 200 have lost their lives in this journey. In the process, many records have been set for the duration taken, the first woman, the youngest and the oldest and so on. Each record is a prize for the individual and his/her country but a great inspiration for humans to keep pushing, winning and conquering new frontiers.

Just a wish to become one of the very few successful mountaineers to reach the pinnacle of the earth isn’t enough. It is a process that takes months or years and tests every possible skill, instinct and the will to survive of the climbers. To ensure the success of the expedition, the following considerations/preparations need to be made prior to the final ascent.

1. Physical Fitness      

   Everest climbing will be a wish everyone will have at one point or the other, but it isn’t a prize that everyone wins. It requires a lot of determination and even more of physical fitness. The concept of best shape doesn’t apply to this expedition as it is a condition like no other in the world. People need to be updated with their health reports , get checked and vaccinated against every possible infection or disease. Climbers usually opt for cycling, swimming and weight training regimes. The main focus of the training should be increasing physical endurance without any injury, the body, maintaining its strength and also adjusting to the changing oxygen density at higher altitudes.

2. Mental preparedness

Physical fitness might be the most essential but the mental training is the backbone of the entire climbing process. Mental fitness refers to managing your emotions,patience and focus. Only a sound mental health ensures the physical performance so it is important to always be focused and prepared to tackle any kind of situation like sickness, anxiety or boredom while waiting in your tents. The Key point to remember will be to have positive thoughts and a sense of humor, surround yourself with optimistic and supportive people,avoid isolation and always trust your instincts and abilities.

3. Technical Skills:

It is important to know the adaptation needs of your own body. Once you have a clear idea, you can manage the acclimatization process by making changes in your oxygen supply, the climbing and resting schedules and knowing the limits to which you can push yourself.While time and pace are important factors to cope with the weather and climbing conditions, it is not wise to try to beat the clock/records or other climbers at the expense of your health. The goal is to acclimate and recover from injuries or sickness without losing much energy.There is a specific technique for every activity like eating, drinking, clothing, socializing, moving forward etc. but one must make changes according to their own capabilities. The climber should be self reliant, have knowledge about all equipment and rescue techniques so that they can survive themselves as well as save lives of the others in case of disasters.

After the completion of the training program, one should be able to walk in different kinds of ice or snow grounds for 6-8 hours a day carrying a 20 kg supplies. They should be able to recover from a hard day’s climbing in a 8-12 hour resting period and push yourself mentally and physically when there is a danger for life.

Once you reach the site or the agency that is guiding your expedition, one of the most useful tools/ lifesavers for you will be your gears/ equipment. You need to have a good knowledge about their function and usage.

• Altimeter : This is a very important navigation device that displays the height/altitude while climbing the mountain. It indicates the altitude and helps in acclimatization to reduce the chances of altitude sickness and other serious problems. The exact instrument used on some tours is the Trimble Geo XH 6000, a handheld high accuracy Geo-navigating device with a built-in window mobile operating system and camera.
• Boots The boots use designs that ensure comfort, durability and safety and include durable zippers, heat reflective aluminum linings, foam insulation, removable liners for fast drying and many other features. Climbers should also have several pairs of trekking socks that would keep the climbers warm, comfortable and prevent frostbite.
• Thermal Coats The temperature/ climate is the main challenge in the climb and hence thermal coats with new and improved designs such as light-weight, full body suits are perfect to ensure extreme weather protection.

 

• Oxygen System: Altitude sickness and breathing problems are the most frequent troubles for the climbers which is made easier by the Oxygen system consisting of the slim aluminum canister weighing up to 7.6 pounds with a maximum of 4 liters of oxygen.
• Cameras: Very light-weight, small cameras with a number of functions are used to capture the one time experience and the beautiful scenery in the expedition without any hassle.
• Backpacks: Comfort and effort reducing devices are the requirements for the expedition which is provided by the lightweight, indestructible backpacks with internal frames for easy movement and ample storage space.
• Sleeping Bags: To accommodate the needs of the mountaineers, the sleeping bags are waterproof and spacious to be comfortable as well as more protective than the older designs.
• Crampons: While climbing walls of ice, a specialized tool called crampon with serrated sub-points is used which helps to grab and hold with precision, resist rust and collecting snow and hang tightly to the shoes.
• Ropes: The rope used in mountaineering is a special kind of nylon rope known for its durability, stretch, lightweight and smooth handling.

Other equipments and their uses are:

To ensure tricky vertical ascents, lightweight aluminum ladders are used to make safe passages.

Laptops can be used for various purposes like: record keeping, checking the weather, communication, etc.

Tents are no longer used only for safety and shelter, but also provide Wi-Fi and other facilities to keep you connected to the world, to be updated with current news and weather patterns and other purposes.

Important factors that ensure safety and success

Guides                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Most trekking agencies and previous climbers insist on guided tours for their higher success rate, prevention of various disasters as well as assistance in many difficulties to the non-experienced climbers. The leadership of the guides helps in making better decisions and prevents mistakes, returning halfway and many other disasters.

Purpose                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               It is important to keep track of your purpose at all times because it motivates you to keep moving, increases your physical strength, mental determination and also improves your survival instincts.

Sherpa Assistance                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             A personal Sherpa is also highly recommended. You should make sure to have a cordial, personal relationship so that you can assist each other and make the experience more enriching, easier and in mortal situations, a bond that pushes you to go on and even save your lives.

Expected Behaviors and Responsibility:

As a climber, you aren’t just an individual, but an important part of the team. At times even the lives of the people could be in your hands. So there are a few responsibilities you should take before and during the expedition such as

The group members are usually in great physical shape and ready to tackle the challenges that they might face so same is expected from you. A previous experience of climbing mountains such as Cho Oyu, Aconcagua, and Denali, etc. is highly recommended for the safety issues.

Compatibility with others, teamwork and respect for each other’s culture and opinions are vital to make the climb an enjoyable and successful experience.

Everest is one of the treasures of the world. Though works are being done for the preservation of the area, it falls in the hands of every single climber to ensure its cleanliness and protection. Climbers should stick to the LEAVE NO TRACE practices so that they do not litter the area. Also, they can make a contribution in the already existing works and initiatives. The climbers are expected to be environmentally conscious and culturally aware to protect the area, people and flora and fauna during their trip.

Planning and logistics:

The following are details to consider before selecting an agency.

Smaller expedition groups are found to be more successful at the summit due to good communication and bonding, proper management and easier rescue operations.

The agency should have a route plan to rest before the summit day to give the body ample rest and boost to make the summit successfully and avoid the most common fatalities.

The agency should provide a good / well maintained base camp that provides facilities and food that keep you healthy and strong.

Oxygen supply is a vital part in case any kind of breathing emergencies occurs. So there should be ample provision of oxygen along with a Sherpa on a personal basis to carry the load on the summit day.

The climb, with professional guides and experienced Sherpas, ensures not only a successful expedition,  but also an easier and enjoyable experience with their leadership and decision making abilities during emergencies.

Other factors to consider are: Safety records, Guides, logistics, planning for Treks, success rate, etc.

In any of the climbs, the personal shortcomings and problems feel like nothing once you are facing the natural challenges that are frequent in the Himalayan ranges. The main obstacles to be aware about and the ways of coping or surviving them are:

Avalanches

It is a rapid flow of snow down a sloping surface due to pressure in snowpack or glacier movements that carries an enormous amount of ice mass causing destruction of life and property. Avalanches in Everest are frequent, but very destructive ones occur only a few times with a high mortality rate.  People involved in avalanches can do nothing but be prepared to be covered with huge blocks of ice for a while,  then to be rescued by the other group members.

Falling rocks:

The rocks around the Everest region are eroding or falling due to various weather conditions and geographical reasons. Such falls when hit a climber either injure him, cause imbalance so that he falls, hits another hard surface and gets injured or dies.

Crevasse falls

The most prominent crevasse in the expedition occurs in the Khumbu region due to the moving glaciers. The best time to cross such crevasses is before sunrise so that the ice layers do not melt to move or cause the deep crevasses. Exposed crevasses are easy to identify and avoid, but hidden crevasses usually claim the lives of many climbers for which there is no other measure than prevention.

Exhaustion/Dehydration

The Everest expedition is one of the most exhausting adventures one can experience due to the altitude that naturally causes deterioration of the body. The low oxygen supply causes the blood to thicken and the body starts absorbing water from every organ so that dehydration and exhaustions are common and frequent. There is no other cure than drinking 4-5 liters of water at regular intervals.

Whiteout:

It is a whiteness caused by the clouds above the snow due to reflection of light. It causes difficulty in visibility so that climbers have difficulty treading through the mountain area and may fall into crevasse and other dangers.

Lost tents

Storms and avalanches are very frequent in high altitudes during the winter season. This could cause the loss of the tents as well as the belongings.

Frostbite/hypothermia

Frostbites or frost nips are the effects of the cold on the hands, feet and ears or nose that causes the tissue to turn white, loose, turn black with blisters and eventually fall off. The affected area needs to be thawed in lukewarm water and then antibiotic should be applied to it.

Hypothermia is a condition when the body starts to lose heat and as a result, vital organs gradually stop working and lead to death within as less as 30 minutes. It is characterized by dizziness, unconsciousness, numbness and it cannot be cured just by adding extra layers of clothes, but getting heat from hot water bottles or from other’s body heat. It is better to prevent this situation completely by being warm at all times or stopping the climb altogether.

AMS:

Acute mountain sickness is characterized by dizziness, nausea, imbalance and sleepiness and requires you to go down to at least 500-1500 m and take emergency medicines.

HACE

The oxygen deficiency at higher altitudes is compensated by high blood flow to the brain that causes it to swell and the nerve finally breaks. This condition is called high altitude cerebral edema and may cause disorientation, hallucination and/or loss of consciousness.

HAPE

When water accumulates in the lungs, there is shortness of breath, chest tightness and bloody sputum. This condition is called High altitude pulmonary edema.  Both the conditions are fatal and may be treated with Diamox or dexamethasone or by retreating to lower altitudes immediately.

Pneumonia

It is a leading cause of death all over the world which is characterized by the inflammation of the lungs. While it can be prevented by vaccination and maintaining good health, in case of its occurrence oral antibiotics, analgesics and hot fluids and ample rest can treat the sickness.

Others problems or challenges include nausea, irritation, insomnia, sunburns, and broken bones from falls, etc.

A final few tips to ensure the success of this adventure are:

1. Drinking water regularly to maintain body temperature, increase oxygen intake and keeping balance to avoid dehydration, dizziness, altitude sickness, etc.
2. On trips like these, ropes are the only things that your life hangs on, literally. So, it is important to pay attention while using ropes and checking their strength and reliability.
3. The weather is the ruler of the Himalayan region that changes with its own will. So, do not take matters of the weather lightly and retreat or pause the trip if any signs of deteriorating weather appear.
4. The equipment ensures the safety and success of the entire team. So it is important for each member to know the equipment and their uses properly.
5. Never be influenced by other climbers or others feel/think. The trip is different for each person and a life threatening situation too. If you feel sick, tired or unable in any to carry on, retreat. Do not take chances with your health/life, know your potential and act accordingly. Live to climb another day!

The prevention and treatment techniques for any kind of personal problem or natural disasters could be the only way of saving your own life and even the lives of many other climbers. It might be your chance to become a survivor or even a hero!