Qumolangama Peak

Qumolangma Feng, the main peak of the Himalayas, is the highest peak on the earth. At an alttitude of 8848 meters, it is located at 86.9 E and 27.9 N, right on the east section of the Sino-Nepal border, with the north slope in Tingri County of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the people's Republic of China, and the south slope in the Kingdom of Nepal. In Tibetan Language, Qomolangma means "Goddess the Third". In a Map of China compiled in 1717, the 56th year of the rule of Emperor Kang Xi In Qing Dynasty, Qomolangma was called Zumulangma'alin (translliteration). It was also named Mt. Everest by the British survey authorities. Qumolangma, shaped like a gigantic Pyramid and full of power and grandeur, towers into the sky while the land features are extremely precipitous and the environment unusually complicated. The snow line of the north slope is 5800-6200 meters and that of the south 5500-6100 meters. Three great cliffs, which are generally named the North Cliff, the East Cliff and the South-west Cliff, are embraced by the Northeast Ridge, the Southeast Ridge and the West Ridge. Between the ridges and cliffs scatter 548 continental glaciers, totalling an area of 1457. 07 square kilometers, with an area of alpine glaciers extending 100,000 square kilometers. The greatest flannel glacier, 26 kilometers long, has an average thickness of 120 meters with the thickest over 300 meters. The Tibetan approach to Mt Everest or Qumolangma provides far better vistas of the world's highest peak than those on the Nepal side. Some 27,000 sq km around Everest's Tibetan face have been designated as the Qumolangma Nature Preserve, aiming to protect the environment and the cultural traditions of the local people. For foreign travelers, the Everest Base Camp has become the most popular trekking destination in Tibet, but this does not mean that the region is exactly swarming with hikers. The two access points are Shegar and Tingri, along the Friendship Highway to Nepal, but be warned that neither trek is an easy three or four-day stroll. Take your time getting acclimatized and be prepared for a strenuous climb. If it all sounds too much, 4WD vehicles can lurch all the way to base camp along the Shegar track.

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