Important Vocabulary to Know
Acclimatize When the human body gets used to new conditions, such as lower oxygen levels at great heights. Acclimatizing your body helps prevent altitude sickness.
Altitude The height above sea level. It is hard to breathe at high altitude since there is very little oxygen.
Altitude sickness Tiredness, headaches, sickness, and light-headedness experienced in high mountains.
Avalanche A large slide of snow (or rock) down a mountainside.
Base camp The place where climbers stay before climbing Mount Everest.
Blizzard A heavy snowstorm with strong winds.
Continent A very large land mass. There are seven continents on Earth: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica.
Mount Everest is located in Asia.
Mount Everest is located in Asia.
Cornice Overhanging mass of snow and ice along a ridge; shaped by the wind like the crest of a wave.
Edmund Hillary climbed up a crack formed by the side of Mount Everest and a cornice to reach the top of the mountain.
Edmund Hillary climbed up a crack formed by the side of Mount Everest and a cornice to reach the top of the mountain.
Crampons Metal frames with spikes fitted onto the bottom of boots for climbing on hard snow or ice.
Crevasse Large crack in a glacier that is often very deep.
Death Zone The part of the mountain above 24,000 feet where there is too little oxygen in the air to support human life for more than a few days.
The box around the top of the mountain in this photo shows the part of Mount Everest that is called the Death Zone.
The box around the top of the mountain in this photo shows the part of Mount Everest that is called the Death Zone.
Expedition A journey organized to achieve a particular goal. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were part of an expedition to climb Mount Everest.
Frostbite Damage to the skin and body parts caused by extreme cold.
Glacier A huge sheet of ice that moves slowly over land.
Himalayas A mountain range that includes many of the highest mountains in the world. The Himalayas extend into six countries, including India, Nepal, and China.
Hypothermia Occurs when a person's body temperature drops below normal (98.6 degrees F) because of being exposed to cold temperatures. It's characterized by shivering, confusion, exhaustion, and memory loss.
Icefall A jumble of frozen blocks of ice. Icefalls are created when a glacier moves down a slope.
Insulation Material used to keep heat from escaping. Mountaineers have to use special kinds of clothing to provide insulation against the cold.
Mountaineer Climber of high mountains.
Oxygen The gas in the air. We need oxygen to breathe. Mountaineers climbing Mount Everest use oxygen tanks to help them breathe.
Peak The top part of a mountain.
Sherpa A member of a group of people living in Tibet and Nepal who live in the high Himalayas and are famous for their mountaineering skills.
Snow blindness A painful eye condition caused by looking at the bright sunlight reflected by snow and ice. To prevent this, mountaineers wear snow goggles to protect their eyes.
Summit The top or highest point on a mountain.
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