 | The north face of Everest as seen from Tibet (photographer unknown) |
Mount Everest
29035 ft (8850 m) Highest point in the world Highest point ever descended on skis / snowboard . |
||
| Location: | Himalaya, on the Nepal-China border | ||
| Lat / Long: | 28.0° N, 86.9° E | ||
| Volcanic Type: | Non-volcanic | ||
| First Ascent: | Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay, 1953 | ||
| First Ski Descent: | Hans Kammerlander, 1996 | ||
| Skiable Vertical: | up to 12000 ft (3700 m) or more | ||
| Mount Everest needs no introduction here, since it is both the highest mountain in the world (above sea level) and also probably the most famous. The newly revised and accepted value for the summit elevation is 29035 ft (8850 m) as measured using GPS by an expedition in 1999, an increase of 7 ft (2 m) over the previously measured value. Everest has been included in this guidebook because it is now the highest point in the world which has been skied or snowboarded, following the first ski descent of the north side in 1996 by Hans Kammerlander (who downclimbed a few snowless sections). The first uninterrupted ski descent was made by Davo Karnicar in 2000 via the standard Southeast Ridge route, and snowboard descents were made by Stefan Gatt and Marco Siffredi in 2001. Yet skiing or snowboarding on Everest and other 8000-meter peaks remains an extremely hazardous game, as evidenced by the disappearance of Siffredi in 2002 while attempting another snowboard descent via the Hornbein Couloir on the north side, the steepest skiable/boardable route on Everest. Although dozens of climbers now attempt to climb Everest each year, only a select few dare to attempt a ski or snowboard descent. | |||
 |
More photos and info about routes, access, etc. may be added in the future ... |
||
| Topographic map of Mount Everest (1:50,000 scale) <click to enlarge> |
|||