Aurora Royal HB.indd

Everest has long been a fascination for me. Like the aurora and the Arctic, Everest is an incredible cross-over of landscape, science, arts and people. “Everest Stories” is a place to share the stories from my own climb, the science that surrounds an ascent of Everest, and insights and stories from others associated with this wonderful mountain.

Please write to me to share your stories and subscribe for updates!

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The Hunt for Mount Everest – interview with Craig Storti

Craig Storti - The Hunt for Mount Everest book cover

Craig Storti is the author of the newly released book ‘The Hunt for Mount Everest’, which explores the history of the mountain before the 1920s and the first ascent. We spoke to Craig to find out more about him and his book.

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Just keep walking

Just keep walking

On the morning of my second surgery, the day after I had found out that the retina had come away again, I couldn’t help thinking about the ladders on Everest and how I had no choice but to do something that frightened me over and over again.

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5 surprising facts about Everest

Camp 2 on Mount Everest - 5 surprising facts about Everest

In this blog, I talk about some surprising facts about Everest that many people don’t know.

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Weather on Everest – what will 2019 bring?

Everest Camp 3 - view of Western Cwm

2018 saw unprecedented good weather on Everest and a record of over 800 summiteers. In 2019, there are indicators the weather could be a lot worse. What do climbers have to be aware of?

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How do we forecast weather on Everest?

Clouds at Everest Base Camp clear to show the peak of Nuptse. Dr. Melanie Windridge

Find out how weather forecasting works, what makes it particularly challenging in the mountains and which technological changes have made weather forecasts more reliable than ever.

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Women on Everest

Melanie Windridge Mount Everest Khumbu Icefall by Bruno Dupety

Find out how women perform on Everest and see Melanie’s new film ‘The 10%’ about women on Everest.

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How long does it take to climb Everest?

Dr M Windridge Mount Everest

Many people wonder how long it takes to climb Everest. But this question is not as simple as it sounds. Find out why.

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How to survive on Everest

Climbing Mount Everest Dr M Windridge

Humans are not meant to survive above 8,000 metres (26,246 feet). Yet people have managed to climb to the highest point on Earth. Melanie explains how it feels to climb Everest and the science behind it.

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Oxygen Problems on Everest 2018

Melanie Windridge - Supplementary Oxygen on Mount Everest

The 2018 Everest season heard several reports of oxygen problems, with Presenter Ben Fogle being amongst those with issues. Many climbers rely on oxygen for safety. So what was going on?

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Summiting Mount Everest

Melanie Windridge in climbing gear at the summit of Mount Everest, holding a "science of Everest" banner

Climb Update: It’s Monday morning as I write this – the 28th May 2018.  Exactly one week ago I was resting in a tent at the South Col of Mount Everest having climbed to the summit that morning. 

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Coordinating the summit push

Climb Update: The last couple of weeks have been just waiting, biding our time at Base Camp. However, whilst the climbers have been resting there has been a lot of activity higher up the mountain.

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The ‘Rotations’: Acclimatising for the Everest summit

Climb Update: In the two weeks since we arrived at base camp, we have been up the mountain twice on what are known as “rotations” – climbing successively higher up the mountain to get used to the altitude.

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Namche Bazaar (3440m): How we acclimatise to high altitudes

Climb Update: We are now in Namche Bazaar at 3440m.  We arrived yesterday lunchtime, after flying from Kathmandu to Lukla, and have spent a rest day here to aid acclimatisation. 

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How meeting the Queen inspired me to climb Mount Everest

This year I’m climbing Mount Everest. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to do something so incredible, and I owe it all to Henry Day, the Mount Everest Foundation and the Queen! Here’s why…

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