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There is probably no other country in
the world that arouses as much curiosity as this vast expanse of myth and
religion known to the world as Tibet, steeped deep in religious mysticism and
ancient practices..
In Tibet each mountain has its own story and each story is the quintessence
of fortitude and steadfastness, a quality that the denizens of the land hold
most precious. Everest in Tibet straddles the east section of the Nepal/Tibet border, with
its northern side lying in the Tingri Country. Before 1949 all approaches had to
be made from Tibet as Nepal was closed. Once the latter opened its doors that of
the former were shut. It was only in 1980 that Tibet was reopened for
expeditions and with that a whole new world of exciting opportunities unfolded.
Since the earliest Himalayan expeditions the North Ridge has represented
staggering achievement. Reinhold Messner had this to
say. "......the north side of Everest was to me one of the most historic and
interesting places of all".
The route is complex and difficult and the summit day long and tiring but the
allure of climbing the Everest from the Tibet side is always magical. The Base camp is established at Rongbuk glacier at 5180m though the real climbing
starts at camp 1 at an elevation of 7000m.
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