5. THE WORLD’S HIGHEST PLACE

PEAK EXPERIENCE

1. TOUCHING THE SKY AT THE TOP OF EVEREST

Climbing Everest is no joke. When the British officers stationed in India were struggling with the measurements of the mountain, already understanding what was high was not easy, they were not even sure if the mountain could ever be climbed by man. But this was the 19th century and since then, a lot has changed. The first who tried to reach the summit tried in the 1920s. Since this first attempt,a number of lives were lost. It wasn’t until 1953 that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay touched the sky.

Video. REACHING THE TOP

2. SETTING RECORDS

Once Everest had been climbed, what challenges were left for man? To begin with, one can try to improve upon what has already been done. Even if no one remembers who the second person to climb Everest was - a bit like the Buzz Aldrin Complex, second onto the moon after Neil Armstrong, one can always remember someone like Reinhold Messner. In 1978, the man who would become known as the greatest climber on earth reached the top of Everest with Peter Habeler without using oxygen. And then in 1980, he was the first to climb to the summit alone, without oxygen, via the notoriously difficult North slope.

Video. AN INTERVIEW WITH MESSNER AND HABELER

3. HIGHER THAN THIS, YOU CANNOT GO

Over the years various records have been set concerning Everest, like for example the Sherpa Apa who claims to have climbed Everest 20 times in 20 years. Or Jordan Romero, who to this day is the youngest person to have reached the summit at 13 years of age. But these surprising results are accompanied by some controversial questions. Does Apa still experience the same exhilaration every time he reaches the top? And can a teenager like Romero really understand what it means to “dominate” Everest? Especially a boy of that age who does not have the physical ability to do it alone and who has to rely on a sherpa to show him the way. According to some climbers, he did not reach the top, he was carried. The same can be said for those tourists who approach Everest like it’s any other old tourist destination.

4. IT’S FORBIDDEN TO PLAY WITH NATURE

Various travel agencies have begun organising so-called treks along the world’s most famous trekking route. Thankfully, the vast majority of them only go as far as base camp, at 5,300 metres and just a few go as far as Island Peak at 6,198 metres. Anything above 8,000 metres, is officially known as the “Death Zone”. People still die on Everest. In 2004 for example, over 300 people died. That said, the enormous influx of people means that Messner’s fear has been realized; Everest has become a bit like Disneyland. At times, it is even necessary to queue to climb Hillary’s Step, a rock named in honour of the very first conquistador.

5 PROTECTING THE HIGHEST PLACE IN THE WORLD

The mountain, as Messner continually reminds us in interviews, should be respected. Access to Everest should be limited, if only to prevent the increase of pollution in the area: many tourists abandon their oxygen tanks (amongst other things) on the slopes of the mountain. For those who want to go to Everest to enjoy the view, perhaps it would be better to stay at home and watch the Discovery Channel. (dsc.discovery.com/convergence/everest/interactive/interactive.html). We should bear in mind that the original name of this mountain in Tibetan means “The Mother of the Universe” and the words of Peter Habeler “I didn’t conquer Everest. It simply endured me”.

Video. FOR EVER EVEREST