A group of eight researchers from China finally summited Mount Everest on Wednesday, May 27. One of only two climbing teams on the mountain this year, they were there for a very specific purpose鈥攖o take the most accurate measurement to date of the world鈥檚 tallest point.
The COVID-19 pandemic nixed the spring climbing season before it got started. China canceled foreign climbing permits from the Tibet side of the mountain in March, and Nepal followed suit for the south side of the peak a day later. However, as China began to control the spread of the disease, the government allowed two groups to make the climb: the聽surveyors and a commercial expedition run by Chinese outfitter Yarlha Shampo.
The group of surveyors聽initially planned to make a聽summit bid on May 12, but weather conditions prevented a team from fixing the rope on the last stage of the route, so聽they returned to the north-side base camp. On May 16, expedition leaders decided to make another attempt, with a smaller team that would reach the summit on May 22. However, heavy snows resulting from Cyclone Amphan once again sent the rope-fixing team聽back to base camp this week, scuttling a聽second try at the top, . It looked like the storm might close the window on this season鈥檚 climbing attempts, but a break in the weather finally allowed the surveyors to settle the question of the mountain鈥檚 height. For now, anyway.
How Tall Is Mount Everest?
Mount Everest鈥檚 recognized elevation has been 29,029 feet above sea level since an Indian survey team measured it in 1955. But if you look hard enough, there鈥檚 a faint asterisk next to that number. For years, Nepal and China have sparred over the height of the mountain straddling their shared border, specifically whether or not the official number should account for the snow聽atop it.
In 2005, a Chinese team determined the peak鈥檚 elevation聽to be 29,017 feet at the height of its rock base, holding that up as the most accurate measurement. Nepal disagreed, maintaining its position that the snowcap covering the peak聽should be accounted for in the final number. But many believe the amount of snow and ice on top of the mountain has shrunk after聽the massive 2015聽earthquake that rocked the Himalayas.
This year鈥檚 expedition to measure the peak jointly was the culmination of an agreement struck last fall when Chinese president Xi Jinping visited Nepal.
The new measurement was taken using China鈥檚 BeiDou satellite-navigation system. The surveyors also collected data on snow depth, weather, and wind speed, which will be used to monitor the deterioration of glaciers and other ecological impacts of climate change. The team spent nearly three hours on the summit, setting up the satellite beacon and other equipment before starting the trek back to base camp. Next,聽researchers will spend up to three months analyzing the data before releasing their reading on the mountain鈥檚 height.
Nepal sent a team of surveyors up the mountain in 2017 and 2018. Scientists from the two countries will meet to review all the findings聽and .
Whatever the new elevation is found to be, it will not change Everest鈥檚 status as the world鈥檚 tallest point. The second-highest peak is Pakistan鈥檚 28,251-foot K2, which sits nearly 800 feet below Everest. And even with an agreed-upon number, the issue won鈥檛 be settled for good. Seismic activity pushing the Indian subcontinent under Asia, as happened during聽the 2015 earthquake, will continue to affect the mountain鈥檚聽height.