Afterword

The Americans who summitted Everest in 1963 were only able to reach their goals after years of planning and effort. It still takes years of planning and effort to summit the Earth’s tallest mountain, but some things are different now. The climbing world has changed a great deal since 1963. Everest is still windy, freezing cold, and dangerous, but the mountain is much better known and climbers can follow established routes. New technology also means that climbers have better clothing, tents, oxygen tanks and communication systems.

Today climbers go in smaller groups. Less experienced climbers can even hire people to guide them. It is not unusual now for several hundred people to attempt to summit the mountain each year.

In the fifty years since the first people climbed Everest, it is estimated that over 10,000 men and women have attempted to reach the summit. About 1,200 have succeeded, and approximately two hundred died trying.