For as long as humanity has existed to gaze upon it, Mount Everest has inspired reverence and awe. When its height of 29,029 feet was confirmed in 1852 by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, mountaineers across the world set their eyes on summiting the tallest mountain on Earth, with hundreds making the attempt each year.

The mountain (previously designated Peak XV) was named after Sir George Everest, the previous Surveyor General, who was dismayed to learn his name was used instead of a local title. The earliest known indigenous name for the mountain is the Tibetan Chomolungma (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ), but there is also the Nepali Sagarmāthā (सगरमाथा) and the Chinese Zhūmùlăngmă Fēng (珠穆朗玛峰).

This specimen is a climbing rope that was used on Mount
Everest. It was retrieved during a massive cleanup effort in 2018. These sanitation projects have become more prevalent recently, to cope with the large amount of waste climbers produce each year.

This specimen was procured directly by Hans Fex in Khumjung, Nepal in the summer of 2019. All specimens are enclosed in an acrylic specimen jar with a removable top which arrives in a handsome, glass-topped riker box case and are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world and is only getting taller, the product of shifting tectonic plates. The peak lies on the border between Nepal and China, rising 8,848 m (29,029 ft) above sea level. Since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary completed the first documented summit climb in 1953, just over 6,000 climbers have reached the top of the mountain, some multiple times. Many more have been forced to turn back, while at least
300 have died during the journey.

The challenges in summiting Everest are innumerable. Beyond the physical demands of the climb, alpinists also face altitude sickness as the air thins. Even the mountain’s two base camps are three miles above sea level, high enough to cause complications for the unprepared. Climbers must acclimatize by making repeated round trips between progressively higher camps, in preparation for the final push into the death zone above 25,000 feet.

Those who do choose to scale the mountain come prepared and work together to make it to the top, relying on rope systems to safely summit peaks. Fixed ropes are bolted to the mountain, and serve as both a means of ascent and a lifeline for climbers. Mountaineers use jumars to climb these ropes, handheld mechanisms that allow for ascent but prevent backwards movement in case a climber slips.

Early climbing ropes were made from sisal, manila, or other natural fibers, but these materials were heavy, susceptible to moisture, and unreliable for serious falls. With the rise of synthetic nylon during World War II, ropes became lighter and more durable.

Companies like Edelrid, founded by mountaineering pioneer Oscar Eckenstein, played a pivotal role in this development, introducing the world’s first kernmantle rope in 1953. This design, with a protective outer sheath (kern) surrounding load-bearing inner strands (mantle), increased strength and flexibility.

Rope lines are usually laid by the indigenous Sherpa community that calls the region home, whose Himalayan village life provides a natural adaptation to the high altitudes. Since the earliest expeditions to summit Everest, the Sherpas have had a complicated relationship with the climbing industry, which has both augmented and disrupted village life. Each climbing season, Sherpas lay down color-coded ropes to ensure climbers know which is most recent. They are made from ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), which is both light and resistant to intense weather.

Learn more about how we came to acquire this specimen and others from Mount Everest by following Hans' trek to Nepal in 2019.