Everest conquered 70 years ago On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first men to scale the world’s highest mountain, using the latest technology available at the time. Since then, more than 11,000 climbers have reached the summit of Mount Everest Mount Everest 8,849m 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 NEPAL INDIA Lhotse South Col East Face Northeast Ridge North Ridge Great Couloir East Rongbuk Glacier North Col North Face West Ridge Rongbuk Glacier TIBET (CHINA) NEPAL Present-day Base Camp (5,364) Western Cwm Khumbu Glacier Base Camp (5,364) Expedition gear Breathing apparatus: Open circuit system combines external air with pure oxygen supply to compensate for thin air at altitude Pressure reduction valve Flow rate manifold Trip valve: Opens on intake of breath Economiser Mask Weight: 18kg Each of three cylinders holds 800 litres of oxygen, lasting 4.5 hours at 3 litres per minute – flow rate on final assault Food: New vacuum packaging reduces weight and bulk, allowing for supplies closer to European diet Assault boot: Designed for use above 6,000m – weight just 1.9kg. High level of thermal insulation sandwiched between waterproof rubber outer layer, inner vapour barrier, and mesh insole Lightweight microcellular resin sole further improves insulation Walkie-talkie: Plastic parts replaced with pure rubber to avoid shattering in extreme cold Selected routes Nationality of expedition 1 1953 British 2 1960 Chinese 3 1963 U.S. 4 1975 British 5 1979 Yugoslavian 6 1980 Japanese 7 1980 Polish 8 1980 Solo expedition Reinhold Messner, Italy 9 1982 Soviet 10 1983 U.S. 11 1984 Australian 12 1984 U.S. 13 1988 International 14 1995 Japanese 15 1996 Russian Everest ascents (annually) 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 1953 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Climbing banned after earthquake Covid-19 pandemic 877 2 Sources: Royal Geographical Society, High Adventure (Edmund Hillary), The Himalayan Database, Statista, 8000ers.com Pictures: Creative Commons, Google Earth © GRAPHIC NEWS