North Col

North Col
Mount Everest. The North Col is the lowest point of the snowy ridge in the middle.
Elevation	7,020 m (23,031 ft)
Traversed by	George Mallory, Edward Oliver Wheeler and Guy Bullock (1921)
Location
Location	Tibet
Range	Mahalangur Himal
Coordinates	28°00′57″N 86°55′30″E / 28.01583°N 86.925°E / 28.01583; 86.925

The North Col (Chinese: 北坳; pinyin: Běi Ào; Tibetan: Chang La) refers to a sharp-edged pass or col carved by glaciers connecting Mount Everest and Changtse in Tibet.^[1] It forms the head of the East Rongbuk Glacier.

When climbers attempt to climb Everest via the North ridge (Tibet), the first camp on the mountain itself (traditional Camp IV, modern Camp I) is established on the North Col. From this point at approximately 6,100 metres above sea level, climbers ascend the North Col to reach a series of progressively higher camps along the North Face of Everest. Climbers make their final push to the summit from Camp VI at 8,230 metres altitude.^[1]

The North Col was first climbed by George Mallory, Edward Oliver Wheeler and Guy Bullock on September 23, 1921. This was the first time a Westerner had set foot on Mount Everest itself. The North Col was discovered by Mallory while searching for possible routes to the summit of Mount Everest during the first British reconnaissance of the Everest region in 1921. All subsequent expeditions in the 1920s and 1930s attempted to reach the summit of Everest by using the North Col.^[2]

This astronaut photograph highlights the northern approach to Mount Everest including the North Col (image centre).

See also

• South Col
• Sagarmatha National Park
• Geology of the Himalaya
• Geography of China

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "North Col of Mount Everest". NASA. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=48603. 
2. ^ Peter Gillman, ed (1993). Everest - The Best Writing and Pictures from Seventy Years of Human Endeavour. Little, Brown and Company. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-316-90489-3.