Routes on Everest

• May 29, 1953: First Summit: Tenzing Norgay & Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (New Zealand) via the South-East Ridge Route. (Western Cwm, Lhotse face to the South-East ridge.)
• May 25, 1960: Chinese team makes first Summit of Everest via the North Ridge.
• May 22, 1963: The first ascent of the Everest West Ridge, actually the West Ridge/North Face by Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein. Also the first traverse as they descended the South East Ridge/ South Col.
• September 24, 1975: Dougal Haston and Doug Scott Summit via the South west face.
• August 20, 1980: Solo: Reinhold Messner (Italy) 8/20/80 via the North Col to the North Face and the Great Couloir. He climbed for three days entirely alone from his base camp at 6500 meters without the use of artificial oxygen via the North Col/North Face route.

Everest History - Firsts
1975: Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to reach the summit on 5/16/75 via the South-East Ridge.
1975: A Tibetan woman, Phantog, reaches the Summit only a few days after Junko on 5/27/75. Becoming he second woman to summit Everest and the first woman to summit from the North (Tibet) side.
1975: September 24, 1975: Dougal Haston and Doug Scott Summit via the South west face.
1978: First Ascent without bottled oxygen: Peter Habeler (Austria) and Reinhold Messner (Italy) 5/8/78 via the South-East Ridge
1978: The first European woman and the third woman to summit Everest, Wanda Rutkiewicz, reaches the top. Wanda goes on to become known as the greatest woman climber ever.
1979: The first woman, Hannelore Schmatz, dies on Everest descending from the Summit after becoming only the 4th woman to Summit Everest.
1979: May 13, 1979: Andrej Stremfelj and Jernej (aka Nejc) Zaplotnik reached the Summit via the true West ridge and descend via the Hornbein Couloir. Also the first Slovenians climbers to Summit Everest.

Everest History

Everest History

1922: 7 Sherpa climbers die in an avalanche becoming the first reported deaths on Everest.

1953: First Summit: May 29, 1953: Tenzing Norgay & Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (New Zealand) via the South-East Ridge Route. (Western Cwn, Lhotse face to the South-East ridge.)

1960: May 25, 1960: Chinese team makes first Summit of Everest via the North Ridge.

1963: James Whittaker reaches the Summit of Everest becoming the first American.

1963: May 22, 1963: The first ascent of the Everest West Ridge, actually the West Ridge/North Face by Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein. Also the first traverse as they descended the South East Ridge/ South Col.

1965: May 20, 1965: Nawang Gombu Sherpa becomes the first person to Summit Everest twice. Both of his summits were via the South east ridge, his first as a member of Jim Whittaker's American Expedition were he became the 11th person to summit Everest. Out of the first seventeen summits of Everest, Nawang had two of them!

Summer Mountaineering Essentials

Mountaineering Boots -Modern leather hybrid with Vibram lug sole or Plastic Double Boots
Crampons 12 point hinged or semi-rigid crampons or Modern 10pt mountaineering crampons can substitute.
Ice axe, 65-75cm in length depending on height of climber
Helmet
Camp stove
Cook ware
Four season tent
Sleeping Bag (Rated to 20 degrees Sythentic or down)
Full length Sleeping Pad
Internal Frame Pack 4,000-5,000- cubic inch volume (Ex: Arc”Teryx Bora 80 Pack) Note: you don’t need a separate day pack for summit day - carry this pack snubbed down, packed with lunch, water, headlamp, first aid & extra clothing - the rest of your gear stays at base camp.