Everest News

elevation:	8,850 metres (29,035 feet)
location:	Nepal–China (Tibet) border
range:	Himalaya
coordinates:	27° 59' 16? N 86° 56' 40? E
first ascent:	May 29, 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay

The mountain was given its English name by Sir Andrew Waugh, the British surveyor-general of India. Waugh chose to name the mountain after Sir George Everest, first using the spelling Mont Everest, and then Mount Everest. In Nepal the mountain is called Sagarmatha (Sanskrit for "Forehead of the Sky"). In Tibetan it is Chomolangma or Qomolangma ("Mother of the Universe") .

The mountain is approximately 8,850 m (29,035 feet) high, although there is some variation in the measurements. The 1998 American Everest Expedition installed a GPS unit on the highest bedrock, computing the elevation of the summit as 8,850 meters. Neither the government of Nepal nor the PRC have officially recognised this measurement, and still consider the official height of Everest to be 8,848 m.

Mt. Everest has two main climbing routes, the southeast ridge from Nepal and the northwest ridge from Tibet, as well as 13 other less frequently climbed routes. Of the two main routes, the southeast ridge is technically easier and is the most frequently used route. It was the route used by Hillary and Tenzing in 1953. This was, however, a route decision dictated more by politics than by design as the Tibetan border was closed to foreigners in 1949.

Most attempts are made during April and May before the summer monsoon season. A change in the jet stream at this time of year also reduces the average wind speeds high on the mountain. While attempts are sometimes made after the monsoons in September and October, the additional snow deposited by the monsoons makes climbing even more difficult.