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05:00The mountain is 29,031 feet tall and is a place of icy temperatures and limited oxygen.
05:08It's not exactly a hospitable place for living things, and once they get there, people's
05:14bodies are in serious trouble.
05:16Despite the danger, you know, the mountain is a mountain's rigors and take on the challenge.
05:24If you're thinking about the mountain, you know, the mountain is a mountain, you know, the
05:33And then you can discover any pre-existing conditions that might be amplified by high altitude.
05:39If you're in a bike, let's go to the hill, the Alabama is a mountain, you know, the mountain is a mountain, and it's a little down to the mountain, the mountain is going to be a mountain, and then they're going to hit the mountain, and then they're going to take the mountain, and there's going to be a foot on the mountain.
05:49Base Camp is 17,590 feet, which decreases oxygen by about 50%. Before attempting a May summit,
05:59it's recommended that you arrive at Base Camp towards the beginning of April to acclimatize
06:05for a few weeks. There's even an Everest Base Camp medical clinic founded in 2003,
06:12so you'll be in good hands if you run into any problems. They treat everything from high-altitude
06:18cough and acute mountain sickness to frostbite. They even treat multiple sprained or broken ankles
06:26due to the rocky terrain. High-altitude cough and acute mountain sickness are common ailments
06:32among Everest climbers. Mountain sickness results in headaches and shortness of breath but can be
06:39managed by ascending no more than 1,000 feet a day. Unfortunately, no one is immune to high-altitude
06:47cough. Climbers know to expect the shock of excessively cold temperatures and the possibility
06:54of frostbite as they ascend Everest, but they might not be prepared for the other extreme,
07:00heat. Surprising, right? On Everest, the snow and ice act as a giant reflector of the sun's glare,
07:08so the potential for sunburn is particularly great in certain areas.
07:12Food plays a major role on how your body reacts to being on Everest. In some cases, as you climb
07:21higher and higher, digestion can slow down so much that your body can't send nutrients to the
07:27muscles anymore. It's best to eat small meals before ascending to different camps. Consuming too much food at
07:36once will send all of the blood towards the stomach to aid in digestion, which could redirect it from the
07:42other functions of the body at altitude. At higher altitudes, your body begins craving more sugars,
07:49and it becomes harder to digest protein. That's why climbers usually rely on plain noodles, canned
07:56vegetables, and meats. But where did this whole climbing Mount Everest challenge come from?
08:04Let me tell you the story of the beekeeper from New Zealand who, along with his buddy,
08:09became the first people to stand atop of the world's tallest peak. His name was Edmund Hillary,
08:16and he had already been climbing with British teams in the Himalayas in the early 1950s.
08:22Then, in 1953, they got invited to join a new Everest expedition. And guess what? On May 29th of that year,
08:31Hillary made it to the tippy-top of Mount Everest via the Southeast Ridge.
08:35The media went wild over Hillary's achievement, and they were invited to all sorts of fancy events and
08:44packed halls to give lectures. But Hillary didn't let the fame go to his head. In fact,
08:50he used it as an opportunity to do some good in the world. He went on to lead a jet boat expedition up the
08:57Ganges River. But perhaps most impressively, he returned to the Himalayas in the 1960s to help build
09:05schools and health facilities. Despite all his accomplishments and awards, including a portrait
09:11of New Zealand's $5 note, Hillary remained a humble dude until the end. I mean, sure, it's a really high
09:20mountain, and the altitude surely causes problems to most people. But is Mount Everest actually the
09:26toughest mountain to climb? That may be partially a myth. For experienced climbers, it's not technically
09:34difficult. It's like a long, slow, plodding ascent, or what climbers call a walk-up. So it's no surprise
09:42that some guides have climbed it 15 times, while some locals have even climbed it a mind-boggling 21
09:49times. Now, don't get me wrong. Everest is still a formidable opponent. But did you know that there
09:58are other mountains that are even tougher? Like K2, the second highest peak in the world, or Mount
10:06Nupsi, which is right next to Everest. That little guy may not be as famous as its giant neighbor, but it's
10:14consistently steep and offers few safe places to camp. Just in case you're ready for climbing and are
10:23already packing your bags, let's clear up a little misconception. You don't actually have to endure years of
10:29preparation if you want to conquer Mount Everest. The Nepalese officials don't require a specific
10:36number of training hours before you attempt the climb. You will need to get a permit beforehand
10:41though, which can be pretty expensive. However, if you want to increase your chances of success and make
10:49the most of your experience, you might want to consider some training. Just be prepared to invest in
10:55some of the trekking agencies in Nepal, who offer different kinds of training programs. And before you
11:01even set foot in Nepal, it's important to commit to a heightened exercise schedule several months
11:07before your climb. You may want to be in tip-top shape for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
11:15If you do decide to go, you can also schedule some time with a guide, preferably one that's been on
11:21Everest many times. They can help you with a screening and design a training program to help
11:27you prepare for the journey. All in all, you don't need to be a superhuman with years of training under
11:33your belt to climb Mount Everest. But a little preparation never hurt anyone, and it might just
11:39make your adventure even more amazing. Not to mention, it can prevent you from experiencing rookie
11:45accidents right there on the spot. Some people out there do, however, come with some built-in features
11:52that help them to better withstand high altitudes. Did you know that Sherpas and Quechua are some of
11:59the most amazing high-altitude dwellers out there? These folks have been living above 14,000 feet for
12:06generations, and they've adapted to the thin air in ways that make Mount Everest look like a stroll in the
12:13park. Well, maybe not exactly, but you get the idea. One of the coolest things about these Highlanders
12:20is that they have superhuman respiratory capacity in conditions with less oxygen. That means they can
12:28get oxygen to their muscles more efficiently than those of us who live closer to sea level.
12:34Of course, there are still some questions that need to be answered. We don't know for sure if this
12:40adaptation has really increased the fitness of these populations. And it's possible the enhanced
12:46capacity is just a side effect of something else that that particular gene does. But it's still
12:53pretty cool to think about how these folks evolved to thrive in some of the harshest conditions on the
12:59planet. Then there's the Sherpa gene. These amazing folks that live in the high mountain region of the
13:06Eastern Himalaya have a special genetic variation that allows them to thrive in high-altitude
13:12environments. The EPAS1 gene, also known as the Sherpa gene, helps regulate the production of hemoglobin,
13:23which allows the body to work more efficiently with less oxygen. So while the rest of us are huffing
13:29and puffing up those steep slopes, the Sherpas are practically skipping up the mountainside.
13:37Now, you may have been wondering if you have the Sherpa gene. Well, unless you have a Sherpa parent,
13:42it's unlikely. But even if you don't have the gene, studying the genetics of the Sherpas could lead to
13:49important medical breakthroughs. Scientists are already learning how the body responds to low-oxygen environments,
13:56which could help patients with critical illness and brain injuries in the future.
14:03That's it for today. So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share
14:08it with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the bright side.
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