North Col

The North Col (Chinese: 北坳; pinyin: Běi Ào; Tibetan: Chang La ) refers to the sharp-edged pass carved by glaciers in the ridge connecting Mount Everest and Changtse in Tibet, 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 7,020 metres (23,030 ft) above sea level, climbers ascend the North Ridge 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 meters (27,001 ft) altitude.^[1]

The North Col was first climbed by George Mallory, Edward Oliver Wheeler and Guy Bullock on September 23, 1921 during the British reconnaissance expedition. This was the first time a Westerner had set foot on Mount Everest. Although long credited to Mallory, discovery of the North Col was in fact made by Wheeler about a week before Mallory himself confirmed its existence while searching for possible routes to the summit of Mount Everest . 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).

Overview

This map is inverted; south is up and north is down. The North Col is lower than South Col, and farther from the Everest peak.

North Col

See also

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

References

Mount Everest
Topography and landmarks	Base Camp Geneva Spur Hillary Step Hornbein Couloir Kangshung Face Kangshung Glacier Khumbu Glacier Khumbu Icefall Lhakpa La Lho La North Col North Face Norton Couloir Rongbuk Glacier South Col South Summit Three Pinnacles Three Steps "Green Boots cave" Western Cwm
Expeditions	1921 British reconnaisance 1922 British 1924 British (Affair of the Dancing Lamas) 1933 British 1935 British 1936 British 1938 British 1950–52 British–Swiss–US reconnaissance 1951 British 1952 Swiss 1953 British 1975 British SW Face 1996 Indo-Tibetan Border Police 2006 Philippine 2007 Altitude Everest expedition Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition Timeline of climbing Mount Everest List of Mount Everest guides
Disasters and notable deaths	1970 disaster 1974 avalanche 1996 disaster Green Boots David Sharp 2014 avalanche 2015 avalanches List of people who died climbing Mount Everest
Committees	Joint Himalayan Committee Mount Everest Committee
In media	Beyond the Edge The Climb (book) The Climb (2007 film) Everest (1998 film) Everest (2015 film) Everest (Indian TV series) Everest '82 Everest: Beyond the Limit EverestMax Expedition Everest (roller coaster) Into Thin Air The Man Who Skied Down Everest Mount Everest webcam Paths of Glory Peak The Wildest Dream Wings Over Everest
Mount Everest massif	Khumbutse Lhotse Lingtren Nuptse Pumori
Records	List of Mount Everest records Times to the summit 20th-century summiters

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to North Col.

Wikiquote has quotations related to: North Col

• Painting of the Camp on North-Col
• Description of the climbing route to the summit via the North Col