With general public’s overwhelming focus on Mount Everest’s extreme elevation, the actual surface area of the summit is rarely considered.
Standing at 29,031 feet 8+1⁄2 inches hight, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. Making it to the top of Everest has traditionally been bucket list item for many of the world’s elite mountaineers and more recently a conspicuous achievement for anyone who can afford to pay enough support personnel to get them to the top with as little effort as possible.
With most discussion about summiting Everest centered around the physical act of climbing it, the geopolitical turmoil around the permitting process and the unbelievable crowding that exists at one of the world’s most inhospitable points, no one really talks about how small the summit’s physical dimensions really are.
While not an exact measurement, most agree the mound that is consider the summit is a only about 10 feet long, 3 feet wide and about 3 feet high. It has been described as roughly the size of a compact SUV’s roof after a snowstorm.
With peak climbing of mid May fast approaching, this tiny parcel of land that people risk their lives to stand on will once again be some of the most coveted space on the face of the Earth.