The path of the longest mountain belt of the Universe is beaten through all of Eurasia. Having begun at the foot of the French Alps, it extends all the way to the expanses of South Vietnam. The highest range of the gigantic mountain range recognized the Himalayas.
The majestic mountain looks like a grand petrified wave that ascended into heaven. The crest of the wave, frozen in stone, is crowned by the Great Himalayas. In the main Himalayan ridge, stretching along the border of Tibet and Nepal, 11 peaks connected. Each mountain range here has a height exceeding 8,000 meters.
The historical names of the highest mountain range
Here, in the "abode of eternal snows", on the lands of China, Mount Jomolungma spread - the highest of the Himalayan "eight-thousanders" ridge. The giant mountain, soaring in the skies to incredible heights, has two more names. The inhabitants of Nepal named her Sagarmatha - "Lord of the sky."
Tibetans call the summit Jomolungma (translated - “Goddess of the Earth”). For Europeans, it is Everest peak. They named the mountain when India was undergoing an era of colonization, under the yoke of Great Britain, and the topographic service of the enslaved state was headed by Major D. Everest, who studied the colossal mountain system.
Top of the world
The Himalayan massif is considered a unique place. In this marvelous corner are the origins of the Indus and Ganges. Mount Chomolungma with its high status became known to the Chinese much earlier than people from the New World. Tibetan monks at the northern foot of the "top of the sky" founded the Ronkbuk Monastery, which operates to this day.
Before a man overlooking the inner monastery courtyard, a magnificent sight opens up - impressive mountain ranges of stunning beauty. The magnificence of the grand peak is felt from the mountain passes adjacent to it and located many kilometers from it.
Everest Formation
The Himalayan ridge, according to geologists, was formed during the era of the split of the ancient mainland of Gondwan. The mainland broke into slabs. The Indian plate, moving north, came across a Eurasian fragment. In the zone of joining the plates, the crust was compressed and a huge fold was formed, which the Himalayas called.
The Himalayan mountain system was formed by three grandiose steps that spread from north to south. The lower heights are the "pre-Himalayas", which form the southern step. The mountain ranges here have a height of about 1000 m.
The middle step is represented by massifs rising 3500 m. In the northern part, the height of the mountain peaks ranges from 6000-8000 m. The width of the mountain ranges reaches 80-90 km.
The growth of the Himalayan ridge has not been suspended until now. Scientists assure that the height of the Himalayas increases annually by 3-10 mm. In the mountain range there are 75 peaks exceeding a height of 7,000 meters. Nepalese Himalayas recognized as the highest.
And above all the ridges ascended Mount Jomolungma. Where is its peak located? It rises above the vast Chinese expanses. The highest peak of Mount Everest is surrounded by other giant peaks that form a real "roof of the world", holding the sky above the earth.
Mount Everest
The mountain peak, proudly surging up from the eternal Himalayan snows, attracts tourists with grandeur and bewitching beauty. Many climbers dream of conquering the steep slopes of a grandiose mountain range with the shape of a trihedral pyramid. Overcoming difficult mountain paths for them with a length of 8848 meters (such is the height of Mount Jomolungma) is a great honor!
The exact height of the peak was established by English topographers in 1852. Since then, many attempts have been made to refute the primacy of Everest. However, they repeatedly debunked, because they all turned out to be untenable.
While the bulk of the high peaks entering the mountain complexes of the world were submitted to climbers, to the "seven-thousanders" and "eight-thousanders" that formed Mount Jomolungma, Everest, if you will, climbers did not know how to approach.
Climate at Jomolungme
The steepness of the southern slope is much greater than the other two. Snow does not linger on it, therefore, before the eyes of travelers appears a naked rock formation. The remaining slopes are covered by glaciers, stretching up to 5,000 meters.
Clarifying the coordinates of Mount Jomolungma, tourists understand that the climate at the “top of the world” is far from comfortable. When bad weather is played out on the mountain range, it is very dangerous to remain in its open spaces. The column of the thermometer freezes here at around –60 0 , and the wind blows at a speed of 200 km / h.
Climbing Homolungma
The magnetic attraction of the highest point on Earth is unbelievable. Climbers, year after year, head east to where the Mount Jomolungma is located, where the tip of its giant peak piercing the clouds is located. The temptation to conquer this peak is great, but only a few reach it.
The philosophy of Everest is harsh. The path to its peak is ordered by those who are fussy and hasty, unprincipled and careless. He often turns into a tragedy for them. The first climbers, who began climbing even at the dawn of the 20th century, suffered a fiasco due to poor equipment. For the first time, Mount Jomolungma was subdued by people in 1953.
Climbers are constantly competing in the difficulty of climbing Mount Everest. Some are trying to climb the icy slopes in the middle of winter. Others, intending to climb to the top, refuse to capture oxygen. Emancipated women, united in a group, try to overcome the difficult path without men.
However, only Reinhold Messner can surprise everyone . The unruly mountain of Jomolungma granted him great mercy - to set several records at the same time! He, climbing alone on the northern slope without oxygen, overcame the ascent to the summit in 3 days. In 1992, 32 climbers climbed the peak as part of the Russian Lada Everest team.
Recent ascents
The success of the expedition depends not so much on the quality of the equipment as on the climate, which determines the latitude and longitude of Mount Jomolungma (27 ° 59′17 ″ N, 86 ° 55′31 ″ E), as well as its height. In addition, climbers have to overcome mountain sickness that occurs when high air pressure.
About 500 travelers annually go to conquer the peak. The governments of the Middle Kingdom and Nepal are not averse to earning money by granting the right to climb the slopes of a harsh peak. Now almost all ascents are carried out on a commercial basis. Tourists agree in specialized companies on the organization of the ascent to the peak of Everest.
Professional guides accompany travelers to the top. The service costs climbers $ 65,000. This amount includes training, the provision of the required equipment and ensuring safety (to the extent possible) on a laborious mountain route. It takes about 2 months to acclimatize and climb.