North Col
North Col | |
---|---|
Mahalangur Himal | |
Coordinates | 28°00′57″N 86°55′30″E / 28.01583°N 86.92500°E |
The North Col (Chinese: 北坳; pinyin: Běi Ào; Tibetan: Chang La) refers to the sharp-edged pass carved by glaciers in the ridge connecting Mount Everest and Changtse in Tibet. It forms the head of the East Rongbuk Glacier.
When climbers attempt to climb Everest via the North ridge (Tibet), the first camp on the mountain itself (traditional Camp IV, modern Camp I) is established on the North Col. From this point at approximately 7,020 metres (23,030 ft) above sea level, climbers ascend the North Ridge to reach a series of progressively higher camps along the North Face of Everest. Climbers make their final push to the summit from Camp VI at 8,230 metres (27,001 ft) altitude.[1]
The North Col was first climbed by
Before 1950, most Everest expeditions went from Tibet and via the North Col, but most now go from Nepal via the South Col. In 1951, two mountaineers on the 1952 British Cho Oyu expedition, Edmund Hillary and George Lowe, crossed the Nup La Col, and "like a couple of naughty schoolboys" went deep into Chinese territory, down to Rongbuk and round to the old prewar Camp III beneath the North Col.[3]
Overview
This map is inverted; south is up and north is down. The North Col is lower than South Col, and farther from the Everest peak.
See also
- South Col
- Sagarmatha National Park
- Geology of the Himalaya
- Geography of China
References
- ^ "North Col of Mount Everest". NASA.
- ISBN 0-316-90489-9.
- ISBN 978-0-500-54423-5
External links