Mount Everest

Mount Everest, also known in Nepal as Sagarmāthā and in Tibet as Chomolungma, is the Earth's highest mountain. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. Its peak is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level.

Because Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world, it has attracted considerable attention and climbing attempts. A set of climbing routes has been established over several decades of climbing expeditions to the mountain. Whether the mountain was climbed in ancient times is unknown; it may have been climbed in 1924.

By March 2012, Everest has been climbed 5,656 times with 223 deaths. Although shorter mountains can be longer or steeper climbs, Everest is so high the jet stream can hit it. Climbers can be faced with winds beyond 200 mph when the weather shifts. At certain times of the year the jet stream shifts north, providing periods of relative calm at the mountain. Other dangers include blizzards and avalanches.

The New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepali sherpa climber from Darjeeling, India.were the first men to reach the summit. They reached the summit at 11:30 am local time on 29 May 1953 via the South Col Route

Since Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay first reached the peak of Mount Everest in 1953, thousands of climbers have followed in their footsteps.

Unfortunately, those climbers have left behind a lot more than just footprints. From tattered tents to abandoned oxygen cylinders and human waste, the slopes of Everest are littered with the leavings of past expeditions, making it the one of the most polluted mountains on Earth.

Fortunately, in recent years, many climbers have begun to realize the need to preserve the natural beauty of these great peaks, setting out on expeditions that bring back old garbage without creating any new waste.

Now Nepal's tourism ministry has acted, deciding that from this April forward, every climber going beyond the base camp will be required to bring back at least eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) of their personal waste and hand it over to officials stationed there. That's the amount the government estimates an exhausted climber discards along the way. The aim is to make sure that no new trash will be left on Everest.