TIL that climbing the full height of Everest means starting at sea level
TIL that climbing the full height of Everest means starting at sea level
Climbers typically ascend only part of Mount Everest's elevation, as the mountain's full elevation is measured from the geoid, which approximates sea level. The closest sea to Mount Everest's summit is the Bay of Bengal, almost 700 km (430 mi) away. So to approximate a climb of the entire height of Mount Everest, one would need to start from this coastline, a feat accomplished by Tim Macartney-Snape's team in 1990. Climbers usually begin their ascent from base camps above 5,000 m (16,404 ft).
It’s obvious once you think about it, but at what point would you consider it in daily life?
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Alternatively: TIL most of the people who climbed Everest only half-assed it.
It's already pretty much a rich people hobby. There are many facilities and heavy assistance from locals. It's dangerous still. But it's not even among the top 5 most deadly, dangerous or difficult climbs. In really good weather you can pay for a helicopter ride to get you even further up from base camp thus making your climb shorter.
Pretty deadly for the sherpas though, who have to deal with the shit of the rich idiot tourists going there in massive numbers. So if they want to insist it's extreme, at least there's that.
Just rely on the Sherpas to hard carry them