Explore Mount Everest With This Breathtaking 360-Degree Experience
MAMMUT / EXPEDITIONEN / ATHLETENPROJEKTE / #PROJECT360 / 5. EVEREST 2016
Climbing Mount Everest is not something the average traveler will get the thrill to experience. Summiting the world's tallest mountain pushes the human body to its limits, and the journey snakes through some of the planet's harshest landscape and most brutal weather.
While many adventure travel enthusiasts dream of seeing that view from the top, most will never get the chance to experience it for themselves.
Now, for the first time ever, anyone can see what it's like to climb Everest without even so much as leaving their house.
Related: How Tall Is Mount Everest?
Enter: #Project360, which offers 360-degree views of the most sought-after mountain treks on earth. They partnered with four Nepalese sherpas who climbed Everest with 360-degree cameras on their packs.
Getty Images/DeAgostini
Join them and virtually climb the whole South route from basecamp to the summit. Their story starts at Everest Base Camp, on the edge of the Khumbi Glacier, where you can see other mountaineers, supply team members, and shelters.
Once you leave basecamp you reach the Khumbu Icefall, part of the highest glacier in the world, and a particularly dangerous site on Everest. Here you’ll find a mixture of large ice blocks and deep crevasses, which "Icefall Doctors" have navigated and made accessible to climbers.
The next segment gives you a tour of Camp 1 at about 6,065 meters. Traditionally it can take climbers 6 hours to reach the outpost. Many must return to base camp numerous times to acclimatize.
After the first camp you travel further up the South route through the Valley of Silence, Camp 2, and up into the higher altitude of the Yellow Band. Then, marvel at the snowy landscapes at the South Col and Camp 4. This is the first time during the trek the summit is visible.
MAMMUT / EXPEDITIONEN / ATHLETENPROJEKTE / #PROJECT360 / 5. EVEREST 2016
Continue the trek to the Balcony, where you can take in incredible views of the surrounding mountains—here climbers usually replenish their oxygen.
Ascenders continue to Hillary Step, a rock face that must be climbed with ropes—a hard task at the high altitude, but worth it as it’s the last major hurtle before the summit. Finally reach the summit along with the sherpas for a scene only few have privy to, until now. Make sure you look around for endless, awe-inspiring views that are almost enough to make you want to attempt the grueling trek.
