Mount Everest news stories on Newser

Rescuer Describes Horror on Everest 'Death Zone'

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:16:22 CDT

Mount Everest climbers, "disoriented, frostbitten, sick, and totally exhausted," struggled against 80mph winds on congested trails last weekend , writes friend Chris Tomer on the blog of American adventurer Jon Kedrowski, who helped to rescue four climbers in the mountain's "death zone." "A two-hour wait at one of the choke-points near...

Toll in Everest 'Traffic Jam' Hits 4

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:51:57 CDT

A fourth climber died on Mount Everest on Saturday, his body spotted not far from where three other climbers perished on one of the mountain's deadliest days. The Chinese climber and the three other victims are believed to have suffered altitude sickness and exhaustion, the AP reports; all four died...

Everest Claims 3 More Victims

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:38:40 CDT

Three climbers have died on Mount Everest and two others are missing, according to officials. A German, a Canadian born in Nepal, and a Korean died while descending from the 29,000-foot summit. Though the weather began favorably for the climbers, a sudden windstorm swept the mountain as they were...

73-Year-Old Woman Scales Mount Everest

John Johnson — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:18:35 CDT

A 73-year-old Japanese woman became the oldest female to climb Mount Everest today, reports AP . Tamae Watanabe reached the summit this morning with four companions after an all-night climb. Best part: Watanabe held the previous record, too—after a climb she made a decade ago. The oldest person to climb...

Real Bravery Is Not Climbing Everest

Kevin Spak — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:13:05 CDT

We're in Everest peak season, and that means we'll probably hear much about the triumphs and tragedies on the mountain. But the "shrewdest and most independent decision of the season" came from Russell Brice, owner of Himalayan Experience, who cancelled his entire season because he thought conditions were too dangerous,...

70-Year-Old to Climb Everest—Twice

Kevin Spak — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:47:36 CDT

What do you do when you're already the oldest American to ever climb Mount Everest? If you're Bill Burke, you climb it again—and again. The 70-year-old says that he's going to attempt the rare feat of climbing the mountain twice in one season, Reuters reports, scaling first its northern...

First Death of Year Strikes Everest

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:05 CDT

An experienced Sherpa guide who has scaled Mount Everest at least 10 times has died at the mountain's base camp, becoming the first fatality in this year's spring climbing season. Karsang Namgyal is the son of Ang Rita, a legendary climber who was the first to scale Everest 10 times...

Mt. Everest Getting More Dangerous to Climb: Sherpa

Mark Russell — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:51:59 CST

Climate change appears to be hitting even the highest place on Earth, the Himalayas. A leading Nepalese mountaineer says the mountain range, including Mount Everest, has lost much of its snow and ice, making it now more prone to rockfalls and more dangerous to climb, reports AFP . "In 1989 when...

Harry Eyes Everest Climb

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:49:31 CST

He's been deployed to Afghanistan , he's been made a captain … next up for Prince Harry? Climbing Mt. Everest. He pledged to scale the world's highest peak last year after an expedition to the North Pole. In April or May, he will join up with a charity that benefits soldiers,...