Mount Everest (3)

In May of 1956, Ernst Schmied and Juerg Marmet became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The following year, Dölf Reist and Hans-Rudolf von Gunten followed in their footsteps. It wasn't until May of 1960 that the first reported ascent of the mountain from the North Ridge occurred, led by Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo, and Qu Yinhua of China. In May of 1963, Jim Whittaker, accompanied by Nawang Gombu, became the first American to successfully climb to the top of the mountain.

As early as 1885, it was suggested that climbing Mount Everest was possible. The mountain's first known summiting occurred in 1953, and interest in climbing the mountain increased significantly. Despite many climbing expeditions, it was not until the commercial era began in the 1990s that climbing the mountain became more feasible. In 1976, the British and Nepalese Army Expedition put Bronco Lane and Brummy Stokes on the summit using the normal route. In 1978, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler made the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. Junko Tabei, a Japanese woman, became the first woman to summit Mount Everest in 1975. In 1970, Japanese mountaineers conducted a major expedition that included an attempt to ski Mount Everest, and in 1976, Yuichiro Miura became the first person to ski down the mountain from the South Col. The 1975 British Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition led by Chris Bonington made the first ascent of the southwest face.

On October 5, 1982, the Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka, who was part of the winter ascent team, became the second person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders, and the first person to do so in winter. Kukuczka's ascents were all made without the use of supplementary oxygen and many of them involved new routes or routes considered exceptionally difficult. He is considered one of the greatest climbers in history.

On the fateful May day of 1989, a group of skilled climbers, hailing from Poland and abroad, set out to conquer the formidable Mount Everest. Led by the experienced Eugeniusz Chrobak, the team aimed to reach the summit via a challenging western ridge. Despite the diverse nationalities of the climbers, in the end it was only the Poles who remained in the attempt for the summit. On May 24th, Chrobak and Andrzej Marciniak successfully reached the top, but tragedy struck just a few days later. A devastating avalanche near the Lho La pass claimed the lives of four Polish climbers: Mirosław Dąsal, Mirosław Gardzielewski, Zygmunt Andrzej Heinrich and Wacław Otręba. Chrobak, who had also been injured in the avalanche, sadly passed away as well. Marciniak, also injured, was rescued by a team that included Artur Hajzer, Gary Ball and Rob Hall. The rescue mission was aided by renowned mountaineers such as Reinhold Messner, Elizabeth Hawley and Carlos Carsolio, as well as the US consul.

In 1996, disaster struck Mount Everest when eight climbers lost their lives in a blizzard that hit the mountain on May 10th. The event, which saw 15 people perish in total during the 1996 climbing season, brought into question the commercialization of climbing and the safety of guided groups on the mountain. One survivor, Beck Weathers, was left for dead close to Camp 4, but managed to make his way back despite suffering from frostbite and snow blindness. Weathers' condition was considered terminal, but he was eventually rescued by the Nepali Army and brought to a lower elevation via helicopter. The tragedy was later chronicled in Jon Krakauer's best-selling book, "Into Thin Air," and the 2015 film "Everest."

In 2006, controversy erupted in the mountaineering community over the death of solo British climber David Sharp on Mount Everest. Sharp had attempted to climb the mountain without a Sherpa guide or sufficient oxygen supplies, and was found in distress by other climbers as he made his descent. Despite being passed by multiple groups, Sharp was ultimately left to die as climbers continued on their own expeditions. The incident sparked debate over the ethics of climbing and rescue efforts on the mountain, and questions about the responsibility of climbers to help those in need. The story received widespread media coverage and was the subject of ongoing discussion for years after the event.

In the spring of 2006, controversy and debate erupted in the climbing community surrounding the death of solo British climber David Sharp on Mount Everest. Sharp had attempted to summit the mountain without the aid of a Sherpa or guide, and with fewer oxygen bottles than is typically considered safe. Despite the efforts of other climbers to help him, Sharp ultimately died on the mountain, leading to criticism of the decision to leave him behind and a discussion of the ethics of climbing. The season was also marked by the rescue of Lincoln Hall, who had been left for dead but was later found alive, as well as the deaths of at least nine other climbers, including multiple Sherpas working for various guiding companies. The events were captured on film by the Discovery Channel for their television program "Everest: Beyond the Limit," and Sharp's death remains a controversial and much-discussed topic in the climbing world.

In 1953, a ninth British expedition returned to Nepal and made a successful ascent of Mount Everest. Led by John Hunt, the team included Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, who came within 100 meters of the summit but were forced to turn back due to oxygen problems. Two days later, the team made a second assault on the summit with the second climbing pair: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. On May 29th, 1953, they reached the summit via the South Col route and took photos before descending. The news of the expedition's success reached London on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation and both Hunt and Hillary were knighted in the Order of the British Empire for their accomplishment. In the following years, several other successful ascents of Mount Everest were made, including the first ascent by an American and the first ascent by a woman. However, there have also been many tragedies on the mountain, including the 1996 disaster in which eight climbers died and the 2006 controversy surrounding the death of solo climber David Sharp.

In 1970, a major expedition led by Saburo Matsukata took place in Mount Everest, with the goal of finding a new route up the mountain's southwest face and attempting to ski down its slopes. Despite a team of over 100 people and years of planning, the expedition resulted in eight deaths and no successful summits through the planned routes. However, some successes were achieved, such as the first man to ski down Everest from the South Col and the first ascent of the south west face of Everest from the western cwm. In 1975, Junko Tabei became the first woman to summit Mount Everest, and in 1978, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler made the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. In 1980, the first winter ascent of Mount Everest was led by Andrzej Zawada, and in 1989, an international expedition led by Eugeniusz Chrobak resulted in the deaths of four Polish climbers and the expedition leader. The 1996 climbing season saw the highest death toll to date, with 15 fatalities, including eight climbers caught in a blizzard. In 2006, 12 people died and there was controversy surrounding the death of solo British climber David Sharp. 2010 saw a record number of ascents, with 169 people reaching the summit in one day, but there have also been a significant number of fatalities, with 54 recorded since 2000. The majority of ascents are made through the northeast or southeast routes, with the percentage of climbers using each route varying from year to year.