South Col

{{Infobox mountain pass

| name = South Col

| photo = File:Summit camp Everest.jpg

| photo_caption = The pinnacle in this view is the South Summit viewed from the South Col

| elevation_m = 7,906

| elevation_ref =

| traversed = A Swiss expedition in 1952

| location = Nepal (Khumjung) – China (Tibet)

| range = Mahalangur Himal

| map = Nepal#China Tibet

| label_position = top

| coordinates = {{coord|27|58|30|N|86|55|55.5|E|type:pass|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| topo =

}}

The South Col is a col between Mount Everest and Lhotse, the highest and fourth-highest mountains in the world, respectively. The South Col is typically swept by high winds, leaving it free of significant snow accumulation. Since 1950 (when Tibet was closed), most Everest expeditions have left from Nepal and gone via the southeast ridge and the South Col (instead of via the North Col). When climbers attempt to climb Everest from the southeast ridge in Nepal, their final camp (usually Camp IV) is located on the South Col.

History

File:Everest, South Col, Himalayas.jpg from the west. The South Col is the lowest point of the ridge on the right side. South Summit is visible just right of the main summit, being only slightly lower in height. ]]

File:Everest, northern approaches.svg

The South Col was first reached on 12 May 1952 by Aubert, Lambert, and Flory of Edouard Wyss-Dunant's Swiss Mount Everest Expedition which failed to reach the summit.{{Cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/mountainworld195029881mbp/page/n105 | title=The Mountain World 1953| year=1953| publisher=George Allen And Unwin Limited.}} The following year, when Mount Everest was first climbed, Wilfrid Noyce and the Sherpa Annullu were the first climbers on the expedition to reach the col. According to John Hunt, the expedition leader:

{{quote|It was 2.40 p.m. Wilfrid Noyce and his companion Annullu stood at that moment above the South Col of Everest, at about {{convert|26,000|ft|m|disp=sqbr}}. They were gazing down on the scene of the Swiss drama, and they were also looking upwards to the final pyramid of Everest itself. It was a great moment for them both, and it was shared by all of us who watched it. Their presence there was symbolic of our success in overcoming the most crucial problem of the whole climb; they had reached an objective which we had been striving to attain for twelve anxious days.John Hunt, The Ascent of Everest, Hodder and Stoughton, 1953, p. 166.|style=overflow:inherit;}}

Climbing

Once on the South Col, climbers have entered the death zone; altitude sickness is a significant threat at this elevation and can easily prove fatal. It is also difficult to sleep, and most climbers' digestive systems have significantly slowed or completely stopped. This is because it is more efficient at this altitude for the body to use stored energy sources than to digest new food. Most climbers will begin using supplemental oxygen here and have a maximum of only three days to make summit bids. Clear weather and low winds are critical factors in deciding whether to make a summit attempt. If the weather is not favourable within these short few days, climbers are forced to descend, many back to Base Camp. Climbers rarely get a second chance to return to the South Col on a specific expedition.

In 2005 Didier Delsalle of France landed a Eurocopter AS350 B3 helicopter on the South Col.{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0509/whats_new/helicopter_everest.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051026162717/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0509/whats_new/helicopter_everest.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 October 2005|title=Landing on Air|publisher=National Geographic Adventure|date=1 September 2005|access-date=24 June 2009}} Two days later he made the first helicopter landing on the summit of Mount Everest, a feat he subsequently repeated.{{cite web|url=http://www.mounteverest.net/story/FrenchEverestMysteryChoppersUtopiasummit-VIDEOMay272005.shtml|title=French Everest Mystery Chopper's Utopia summit|publisher=MountEverest.net|date=27 May 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113192323/http://www.mounteverest.net/story/FrenchEverestMysteryChoppersUtopiasummit-VIDEOMay272005.shtml|archive-date=13 January 2015}}

In May 2019 the highest weather stations in the world were installed on Everest, one at the South Col and another on a place higher up on the peak known as The Balcony as well as some other stations and locations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/2019/06/mount-everest-highest-weather-station/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613112125/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/2019/06/mount-everest-highest-weather-station/|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 June 2019|title=Inside the Everest expedition that built the world's highest weather station|date=13 June 2019|website=Exploration & Adventure|access-date=16 June 2019}} The weather stations are about {{convert|7|ft|m|1|order=flip}} tall and weigh {{convert|110|lb|kg|round=5|order=flip|abbr=on}}. On 21 July 2022, a maximum temperature of {{convert|-1.4|°C}} was registered at the South Col.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ThierryGooseBC/status/1550154510860894208|title=Exceptionally high temperature recorded on Mount #Everest! With a high of -1.4°C recorded today (July 21) at the South Col weather station (7,945 m), this is probably a world record at this altitude.|website=Twitter.com|access-date=22 July 2022}}

References

External links

[http://www.staeudtner.com/allgemein/south-col-everest/ Painting of the South Col]

Category:Mount Everest

Category:Mountain passes of the Himalayas

Category:Mountain passes of Nepal

Category:Mountain passes of Tibet

Category:Mountain passes of China

South Col

History

Climbing

See also

References

External links