7 Mt Everest Facts for Kids
1. Mt. Everest is Earth’s largest mountain. Its status as the largest mountain on earth has shrouded it in mystery and brought thrill seekers to try to conquer the mountain and climb to its peak. At its peak Mt. Everest is over 29,000 feet.
2. The mountain lies between Nepal and Tibet China border. It is part of the Himalaya’s. There are two main climbing routes from the base to the summit. The first recorded successful climb from the base to the summit was in 1953 an attempt years earlier fueled one of the greatest mysteries of Mt. Everest when the climbers were seen near the top of the mountain but disappeared behind the clouds never to be seen again. The body of one of the climbers was recovered many years later in 1999.
The Dangers of Everest
3. Climbing Mt. Everest is usually done with oxygen tanks strapped on. Many people never make it to the top because of altitude sickness.
4. Altitude sickness typically occurs at heights of more than 8000 feet. The symptoms can range from flu like symptoms to complete disorientation to cerebral edema and death. There are no particular telltale signs of who will get this sickness but it has affected a great many climbers on Everest. Being in top health can help to ward off this sudden onset illness. Using an oxygen tank pretty early on may also help but there is no clear way to prevent it and there is no clear understanding why some people will get it, while others do not.
5. The wind and the weather are also a danger. The wind has been known to knock climbers right off the mountain. The temperatures can drop very suddenly to below freezing.
6. There is also the possibility of an avalanche as well. Battling Everest is not easy. It is estimated that over 200 bodies have been left on Everest of climbers that just did not make it.
The Beauty of Everest
7. Mt. Everest is a wondrous place and is home to some incredible creatures. There is a species of spider that has been discovered living at 22,000 feet on the mountain that depends on the wind to bring its frozen bug dinners. There is a species of goose that flies around at about 20,000 feet and a scavenger bird called the Chough that has been spotted feeding at a body left behind at 25,900 feet.
