Mount Everest - The Death Zone

Mount Everest the highest mountain in the worldby there own internal fluids.
attracts many climbers from around the world toHACE is where your brain swells due to increased
try and reach her lofty summit. Safety on ablood circulation from not getting enough oxygen.
mountain like Mount Everest is paramount, oneThis can also cause loss of coordination,
mistake and it could be the last thing you do.hallucinations and mental deterioration.
The climber will probably experience avalanches,For any climber on the slopes of Mount Everest
hidden crevasses and extreme weather conditionsthe best way to avoid getting into serious
while on the slopes of Mount Everest, all of whichproblems at high altitude is to climb high, sleep low,
are beyond the climber's control. One thing thatthis way it gives the body a chance to acclimatize
climbers can have control over is human errorsto the thinner air. A series of Camps will be made
brought on by the effects of high altitude.to reach the summit, usually the climber will climb
The region above 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) iscarrying a load of equipment to the camp above
called the death zone. The reason for this name isthen descend for a rest before going higher again.
because nothing lives at that altitude or above andThis is repeated many times before the final long
no human can survive long there due to the lackascent to the summit.
of oxygen in the thin air.It was first unsure if humans could even survive
Climbers are very vulnerable to altitude sicknesssuch altitudes as the summit of Mount Everest
once they climb into the death zone. They cannotwithout oxygen. In 1978 it was proved that you
escape the potentially deadly effects of oxygencould stand on the highest point on earth without
deprivation, although they can help themselves bybreathing bottled oxygen. Climbers Reinhold
staying in the Death Zone for as minimum timeMessner and Peter Habeler reached the summit
as possible before the thin air eventually wearswithout using any bottled oxygen, they were the
the body down.first to do so. Although shown it can be done
On the summit of Mount Everest the atmosphericnearly all climbers make the use of bottled
pressure is about one-third that of sea level. Itoxygen on there summit attempt and many
has been said if you magically arrived on thewould probably not have survived without it.
summit straight from sea level you would loseBottled oxygen gives a very much needed
consciousness nearly immediately and would beperformance boost, it helps climbers sleep, retain
dead within minutes. One famous climber, Davidthere mental clarity, and resist the mountain's
Breashears from the USA once stated that evenfierce cold. But it also adds one more thing to the
when using bottled oxygen on the summit it feelslist of what can potentially go wrong. If there is a
like "running on a treadmill and breathing through amalfunction with the bottle or it runs out of
straw."precious oxygen, oxygen deprivation can have
Upon reaching the death zone the climber willcatastrophic consequences for climbers who
notice his or her increased breathing rate andsuddenly find themselves high on the mountain
heart beat. The ability to do any basic tasks likeand without it.
making a meal, putting on climbing boots etc willLack of oxygen, exhaustion, extreme cold, and
leave the climber very short of breath. Inside thethe dangers of the climb all contribute to the
body the blood will start to thicken which coulddeath toll. A person who is injured high up and can
lead to clotting or strokes. These physicalnot walk himself is in serious trouble since it is
reactions are the body's way of combatingoften extremely risky to try and help a stricken
oxygen deprivation, also known as hypoxia.climber down to safety.
Altitude also affects the climbers loss of appetitePeople who die during there climb on Mount
which can be potentially dangerous as it is vital toEverest are usually left behind. About 150 bodies
remain well hydrated and nourished for the climbhave never been recovered. It is not uncommon
a head. Sleeping can also be a problem in theto find corpses near the main climbing routes. The
death zone, many climbers can not sleep at allreason for this is that in many cases there is not
while others sleep but wake frequently during thethe available manpower and those climbers in the
night gasping for air.area just don't have the reserve of strength
As the climber goes higher, the air quickly getsneeded to carry a body down the mountain.
thinner and this can lead to far more dangerousClimbers who have gained the summit and arrived
medical conditions such as High-Altitude Pulmonaryback home safely have written and shared their
Edema (HAPE) and High-Altitude Cerebral Edemaexperiences with others. They have said that
(HACE) which is known as acute mountainclimbing Mount Everest is not just an ordinary
sickness.expedition but an experience in itself.
HAPE is when the lungs fill up with fluids. If theNo matter how good a climber you are there will
climber does not descend to a lower altitude asalways be dangers up in the death zone that are
soon as possible he or she will eventually drownout of your control.