Climbing Mount Everest Quiz
Who was the first person to climb to a height of over 8,000 meters on Mount Everest in 1922?
- The English mountaineer Mallory was responsible for the first three expeditions up Mount Everest in the early to mid-1900s, and his efforts to reach the summit have spawned the so-called "Everest Discrepancy", questioning who got there first.
If you are climbing Mount Everest, you need to avoid the large openings in the ice that fall straight down. What are they called?
- You can find crevasses in ice sheets and glaciers, or even on solid ground. It simply refers to a deep opening that is dangerous— particularly when situated in ice, as getting stuck within one can lead to frostbite, hypothermia, and even death.
How much natural oxygen is available for your lungs when you reach the top of Mount Everest, compared to sea level?
- The oxygen level at the summit of Mount Everest is around 33%, or 1/3 the amount of oxygen available at sea level.
Climbing Mount Everest is a goal for many adventurous individuals. Approximately how many people have successfully summited Mount Everest?
- Over the years, about 4,000 climbers, mountaineers, and adventurers have made it up to the very top of the highest peak on earth.
Though many people have successfully climbed the peak, others have sadly lost their lives on Mount Everest. Approximately many people have died during their journey to the top of the mountain?
- Just over 300 people have lost their lives to the mountain, whether it be due to equipment failure, weather, human error, or natural disasters— Mount Everest continues to be an especially tempting and dangerous peak to summit.
Because of the dangers of removing the bodies of those who have lost their lives on Everest, many still remain enclosed in the ice. What do climbers call one deceased individual, likely an Indian mountaineer named Tsewang Paljor, who is still visible?
- Palijor sadly died during his summit attempt in 1996, but he remains on the mountain to this day, still wearing his iconic green hiking boots that have become a sobering landmark for other climbers.
When asked why he wanted to climb Everest, who said the famous phrase "Because it's there"?
- Prior to his 1924 Everest expedition, a reporter asked Mallory why he wanted to summit the mountain, getting this famous reply.
What do you call the area above 8,000 meters on Mount Everest, where the amount of oxygen is unable to keep a human alive for an extended period?
- Originally called "the lethal zone" by Swiss doctor Edouard Wyss-Dunant in 1953, this is the area above 8,000 meters where not enough oxygen exists to sustain human life for a prolonged time.
Mount Everest has several routes to get to the top, depending on the season and which side of the mountain you attempt to summit. How many routes to the top have been pioneered over the years?
- Though 17 other pathways have been pursued, most climbers summit Mount Everest by one of two main routes, either from Nepal or Tibet.
There are several iconic rock units staggered from the base of Mount Everest to its peak. What are three of the most famous ones called?
- These famous geological formations are well known as the layers that make up any summit attempt of Mount Everest.
