Mount Everest

Vocabulary

Sherpa

• Context Clue– Since the first British adventurers came to Nepal, a

group of native people known as Sherpas have worked with climbers as guides and partners.

• Definition: – a race of people know for their climbing abilities

and ability to adjust to high altitudes quickly. Usually hired to help climbers up the mountain.

Expedition

• Context Clue– Most expeditions to the Himalayas begin with a

plane flight to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.• Definition:– a journey made for a specific reason.

Summit

• Context clue– Its summit is the highest point on earth, 5 ½ miles

above sea level.• Definition:– the top

Altitude

• Context clue– At higher altitudes, there is less air above you.

• Definition:– height of something measured from sea level. This

is a measurement of air pressure.

Elevation

• Context clue– During the journey, the elevation rises from 5,000

feet to over 17,000.

• Definition:– Height of something measured from sea level. This

is a geometric measurement.

Delirious

• Context clue

• Definition:– A disorder of the mind that results in restlessness,

excitability, incoherent thought and/or speech, and/or hallucinations.

Assault team

• Context clue– After helping Hillary and Norgay establish Camp IX,

the rest of the team descends, leaving the final assault team alone in the dismal camp.

• Definition:– Two or more climbers who attempt to reach a

mountain summit.

Avalanche

• Context clue

• Definition:– A mass of snow, ice, or rock pouring down a

mountainside.

Base Camp

• Context clue– Only 10,900 feet and 13 miles to go before your

next stop at Base Camp.

• Definition:– A central setup of tents where food, equipment,

and medical supplies are stored; a relay site for climbers.

Buddhist

• Context clue– Over 500 years ago a group of Tibetan Buddhists

known as the Sherpas moved from Tibet to the Everest region of Nepal in order to be closer to the mountain they hold sacred.

• Definition:– Based on the teaching of Buddha; a member of the

religion that adheres to the teachings of Buddha.

Col

• Context clue– Disappointed and exhausted, Bourdillon and Evans

retreat all the way back to South Col.

• Definition:– A depression or pass in a mountain range.

Cornice

• Context clue

• Definition:– An overhanging mass of hardened snow at the

edge of a ridge, usually formed by wind.

Cwm (pronounced coom)

• Context clue

• Definition:– A valley on the side of a hill or mountain.

Crampon

• Context clue– At 6:30 a.m., after spending two hours thawing

out Hillary’s frozen boots, the men finally strap on their crampons and set off for the top.

• Definition:– Metal frame with spikes worn on hiking boots for

ice climbs.

Crevasse

• Context clue– Hillary and teammate Tenzing Norgay, roped to

each other, cut ice steps and maneuver around hidden crevasses.

• Definition:– A deep, open crack in a glacier.

Icefall

• Context clue– Hillary leads some of the team on a rigorous climb

up the Khumbu Icefall to establish Base Camp.

• Definition:– A cascade of ice that results when a glacier

descends over a changing slope of ground beneath.

Ice pick

• Context clue– Hour after hour, using ice picks, they cut endless

ice steps.

• Definition:– A tool for chopping ice or securing oneself while

climbing over ice.

Oxygen system

• Context clue– They encounter a blizzard and their oxygen

systems begin to fail.

• Definition:– Oxygen tanks carried by climbers. A closed system

allows climbers to breathe pure oxygen from the tank; an open system allows climbers to breathe a mixture of pure oxygen and outside air.

Porter

• Context clue– It has taken 16 days for Edmund Hillary, 13 other

climbers, and 350 porters to reach the Tengpoche Monastery and set up a rear camp.

• Definition:– A person who carriers supplies.

Sidar

• Context clue

• Definition:– A Sherpa leader on a mountaineering or trekking

expedition.

Traverse

• Context clue

• Definition:– To cross a mountain slope; a steep slope that has

to be climbed from side to side.