Climb Mount Everest: What to know
Passang Sherpa, a former mountain guide, with Mount Everest in the background. Credit: Passang Sherpa
After nine hours trekking overnight in the snow, Richard Birrer clambered onto the peak of Mount Everest.
“To see the sun rise on the summit, with the shadow of Everest against all the other mountains, was profound,” Birrer, 74, of Locust Valley, recalled of his 2010 journey. At 29,032 feet, the doctor and veteran climber said the round arc of the planet was visible: “To see the curvature of the Earth — well, what can you say about that?”
Richard Birrer at his Locust Valley home. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
But for those who, like Birrer, want the adventure of a lifetime, brace yourself.
Everest, on the Nepal-China border, experiences extreme weather, with an average of -15 degrees Fahrenheit at the summit in May — actually considered the best month for a trek.
The grueling venture takes about three months, said former mountain guide Passang Sherpa, board president of the U.S. Nepal Climbers Association, a Queens-based nonprofit that advocates for Everest’s preservation and for the families of injured and killed guides.
Climbers spend much of that time acclimating to the high-altitude, low-oxygen environment to reduce the chances of getting sick or dying, he said. Many expeditions first go to nearby mountains for practice before heading to the Everest base camp, almost 18,000 feet above sea level. There, Sherpa said tour leaders might set up three or more camps up the mountain for climbers, who go back and forth between them to ease into the higher altitudes.
For a successful summit, willpower might be more important than muscle and physical fitness, Sherpa said.
“You have to make it with the mind, not just the body,” said the former guide, who summitted once. “It’s really, really hard to walk eight, 10 hours in the snow.” (It can also be deadly: At least eight climbers died or went missing during the spring 2024 climbing season, down from a record high of 18 in 2023.)
The mountain can get crowded as one line of climbers stretches up the peak and another one down, Sherpa said. The descent is actually the most dangerous part of the trip, he said, with trekkers tired and unable to think clearly.
For Birrer, reaching the top of Everest was more than just a physical achievement: “It’s really not about the summit ... It’s a spiritual journey.”
COST
A guided tour that includes trekking permits, supplies, food and workers to haul supplies and set up camp can cost $50,000 or more. This excludes flights, special clothing for extreme conditions and extra sets of personal gear in case they’re blown away or lost.
HOW TO PREPARE
Passang Sherpa, a former guide who has summitted Mount Everest once, advises prospective climbers to start training one year in advance of their trip. Preparations can include jogging with a weighted backpack and getting used to wearing and walking in the special gear, such as high-altitude snow boots, that will be needed on the trip, Sherpa said.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The Everest experience has changed dramatically in recent decades. High-end travel companies and businesses, which sponsor climbers, organize “bucks to luxe” experiences, with dining sets, wine, Wi-Fi and cots. Climbers sometimes find their tents have moved overnight as glaciers melt due to human activity on the mountain. In response, China and Nepal have enacted a growing number of laws to protect Everest, including cleaning up the debris left by climbers, from oxygen tanks to human waste.
RESOURCES
Base Camp Magazine offers tips and dispatches from climbers. basecampmagazine.com
Nepal Tourism Board provides information on permits, acute mountain sickness and emergency phone numbers. ntb.gov.np
U.S. Nepal Climbers Association promotes ethical and environmentally sound mountaineering. usnepalclimbers.org
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
