Why does climbing Mount Everest have to start at midnight?

Only by setting out at midnight do you stand a chance of climbing Everest. If you wait until dawn to get there, you may never return.

Mount Everest , the highest peak in the world, is located at the junction of China and Nepal, and is the border peak between China and Nepal. The northern slope of Mount Everest is located in Tingri County, Tibet, China, and the southern slope is located in the Khumbu region of Nepal. On December 8, 2020, the highest point of Mount Everest was determined to be 8,848.46 meters above sea level.

However, not everyone who wants to challenge Mount Everest has the opportunity to stand on the top of Mount Everest. According to statistics, since 1953, when humans first climbed Mount Everest, a total of 7,000 people around the world have climbed Mount Everest. Every year, many mountaineering enthusiasts from all over the world come to Mount Everest, and many of them have to give up or stay on this mountain forever.

Picture 1 of Why does climbing Mount Everest have to start at midnight?
Climbing Mount Everest during the day is not impossible, but if you understand these potential dangers, you will surely understand why you have to climb Mount Everest at midnight!

Why climb Mount Everest at 12 midnight?

On May 27, 2020, China sent professional surveyors to manually measure the height of Mount Everest. At 11:00 a.m. on May 27, the staff successfully climbed Mount Everest and began work. According to the interview report, the host asked the team leader why they arranged to start climbing Mount Everest at 12:00 a.m., were there any special instructions or explanations?

The team leader revealed to everyone the reason he decided to climb Mount Everest at midnight, the main reasons are as follows:

Climbing Mount Everest is an extremely difficult and dangerous task, to stand on the highest mountain in the world, safety is the top priority. And choosing to depart at midnight is just to ensure safety.

Picture 2 of Why does climbing Mount Everest have to start at midnight?
During the day, until the Sun begins to appear and the sunlight hits the rock walls of snow-capped mountains and glaciers, the risk of rockfalls faced by climbers will gradually increase as the temperature increases, because the occurrence of rockfalls will gradually increase closely related to temperature.

Experts say that when setting out at midnight, the moonlight and stars are sparse, the wind on Mount Everest before dawn is not strong, this period is a suitable time for climbing , it usually takes about eight hours for climbers to climb from an altitude of 8,300 meters to the top.

If you climb during the day , the temperature will be higher, but the sun will increase the risk of climbing, after the sun rises during the day, the snow will soften under the sun, which can cause an avalanche . If you encounter an avalanche on the top of the mountain, the chance of survival is very small and such avalanches occur frequently.

Picture 3 of Why does climbing Mount Everest have to start at midnight?
Mount Everest is made up of rock and silt. There are cracks in the rock due to thermal expansion and contraction. Water seeps into the cracks and freezes into ice at night. When the sun shines during the day, the warm sunlight melts the ice into water, and the damaged rocks can collapse at any time.

The second problem is the equipment of the climbers. Everest climbers wear 4kg heavy shoes, if too much snow sticks to the shoes during the climb, the weight will increase a lot. Everyone should know that on the top of Everest, at an altitude of more than 8,000 meters, the air is very thin and breathing is difficult, so every step forward is very difficult, every additional weight will increase the risk of failure during the climb.

According to experienced climbers , only at midnight to early morning does the snow harden and not stick to shoes , this is the result of the experience of countless climbers.

If you climb Everest from the north side in China, the nearest base camp is at 8,300 metres above sea level. If all goes well, it will take you about 8 hours to climb Everest from here, meaning that starting at 12 midnight, you will probably reach the summit around 8-9am, when the sun has just risen .

There are strict regulations for climbing and descending Mount Everest. Mount Everest also has a closing time. The so-called closing time is generally understood as a ban on climbing. You need to reach the summit within a certain period of time. If you exceed this time, no matter how steep or high you climb, you must turn back and go down unconditionally. If you exceed the closing time, the weather and environment on the mountain will become harsh, and it will be more dangerous to go down.

Picture 4 of Why does climbing Mount Everest have to start at midnight?
The best time of year to climb Mount Everest is from April to May
, which is also the Everest climbing season. The most suitable time is basically only ten days in May. Mountaineering enthusiasts from all over the world, most of them will arrive at Everest Base Camp in April, waiting for the right time to start the challenge of conquering Mount Everest.

The sun is strongest at noon, and the winds on Mount Everest are strong at level 8-9 all year round. In such climatic conditions, it is very difficult for people to stand firmly on it. If there is an emergency and it is too late to go down the mountain, it will be very dangerous. We all know that going down the mountain is more difficult than going up the mountain. If you are not careful, you can lose your life on Mount Everest.

October to March every year is the windy season in the Everest region, the climate is also complex and changeable, the strong northwest cold current can cause the temperature to drop to minus 60 degrees and the wind speed can reach 90 meters/second. June to September every year is the rainy season, the southeast wind will cause frequent snowfall, ice and snow are rampant, so it is not suitable for human mountain climbing.

Spring from March to May every year is the season of wind transition to rainy season, this time the climate is relatively stable but only lasts from a few dozen days to a few months, the climate is relatively stable. Therefore, most climbers in the world choose this time to climb Mount Everest!