These are some hidden gems about one of nature’s greatest ever gifts.
Prepare yourself for an epic adventure.
Everest is crashing its way into Irish cinemas on Friday 18 September and to celebrate the release of the truly spectacular film, we’ve compiled this list of 10 remarkable facts about the Nepalese wonder.
Believe us, reading these amazing facts is much safer than trying to climb the actual mountain.
1. The summit equates to the cruising altitude of a commercial airliner
Discovered by civilisation during the 1850s, Everest stands at a whopping 29,029 feet… although a 1999 study claims it’s actually six feet taller.
Plus, we reckon it was probably standing there for quite a while before humankind claimed it “discovered” it way back in the 19th Century.
To put that height into perspective, you can consider yourself on par with the peak when the seat belt sign is off on your next Ryanair flight.
2. The man who Everest is named after never actually saw the peak
The mountain was named after George Everest, but the retired surveyor general never got to see the summit before passing away.
Still though, his name lives on in a most remarkable way.
3. Over the last five decades, someone has died every year on Everest… bar one year during the 1970s
Since 1969, one person has died every year on Mount Everest. The exception was in 1977 when, amazingly, no fatalities were recorded.
4. Reinhold Messner pulled off the seemingly-impossible Everest achievement in 1980
The Italian mountaineer completed a solo ascent of the mountain, without oxygen.
Messner himself said, “I am nothing more than a single, narrow gasping lung, floating over the mists and summits.”
We think he’s a being a bit modest to be honest. That’s an incredible achievement.
5. Gale force winds can reach up to 200 miles per hour
Traditionally thought, the lack of air pressure is the greatest obstacle on Everest. However, the gale force winds can be just as dangerous, reaching up to 200 miles per hour at times.
6. 10% of those who reach the summit die
For the incredible people who successfully climb Everest, their work is only half done.
One in ten climbers have been known to lose their life on the way back down, with about 200 bodies still scattered across the mountain.
7. In 2011, the first ever tweet was sent from the summit
As you can well imagine, the phone service on top of Everest is known to be poor.
Kenton Cool, however, managed to get around this problem in 2011 to post the peak’s first ever tweet.
Amazing.
Everest summit no 9! 1st tweet from the top of the world thanks to a weak 3G signal & the awesome Samsung Galaxy S2 handset! @samsunguk
— Kenton Cool (@KentonCool) May 6, 2011
8. Mount Everest is nearly 10 times the size of man’s largest ever creation
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is a fantastic architectural feat, but it is minuscule in comparison to Everest.
With the mountain growing larger by about 4mm every year due to tectonic plate activity, the gigantic skyscraper has a serious battle ahead in catching up.
Get a move on Burj Khalifa.
9. Babu Sherpa holds the record for the longest time spent on the summit
Everest’s peak is virtually inhospitable, with most climbers only staying up there for about half an hour, if lucky, before descending.
In 1999, Babu Sherpa remained at the top of Everest for an incredible 21 hours.
Sadly, the legend passed away in 2001 on another expedition, but still retains that unbelievable record.
10. Climbing the world’s most famous peak isn’t cheap
If you’re planning an Everest trip and if it’s your first expedition, you’re going to want to do it right.
Top guides can set you back over €70,000, with €5,000 extra advised for oxygen supplements.
The good things in life don’t come easy, though.
For anyone considering undertaking this epic adventure, check out the jaw-dropping trailer for Everest to see what lies ahead.
The film is inspired by the incredible true events surrounding an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain and packed full of hair-raising and heart-stopping moments, Everest has a brilliantly impressive cast to match its brilliantly impressive scale, including Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, Robin Wright, Sam Worthington and Emily Watson.
See? We told you it was pretty special.
We reckon we might just watch the movie and leave climbing Everest for another time.
Clip via UniversalPictures Ireland
Everest is released in Irish cinemas on 18 September 2015.
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