Hornbein Couloir
Encyclopedia
The Hornbein Couloir is a steep gorge high on the northern side of Mount Everest
in Tibet
, that lies west of the summit pyramid and extends to about 150 metres below the summit itself.
Its companion to the east of the summit is the Norton Couloir
.
.
southern side of Everest on two routes. The majority of expedition members used the same route that had been employed ten years earlier by the first men to conquer the mountain, Tenzing Norgay
and Edmund Hillary
. This entailed negotiating the Valley of Silence and the flank of Lhotse
to the South Col
and onwards over the southeast ridge to the peak.
Hornbein and Unsoeld, however, chose a different route.
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, that lies west of the summit pyramid and extends to about 150 metres below the summit itself.
Its companion to the east of the summit is the Norton Couloir
Norton Couloir
The Norton Couloir or Great Couloir is a steep gorge high on the north face of Mount Everest in Tibet, which lies east of the pyramidal peak and extends to within 150 m below the summit....
.
Origin of the name
The steep gorge was christened after a member of the 1963 American Everest Expedition, Thomas HornbeinTom Hornbein
Thomas "Tom" Hornbein is a well-known American mountaineer.Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hornbein developed an interest in geology as a teenager. His study of geology led to a fascination with mountains. Eventually he also became interested in medicine; he studied and worked as an anesthesiologist...
.
The crossing of Mount Everest
Hornbein and his partner, Willi Unsoeld, were members of an expedition, that was attempting to reach the summit from the NepaleseNepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
southern side of Everest on two routes. The majority of expedition members used the same route that had been employed ten years earlier by the first men to conquer the mountain, Tenzing Norgay
Tenzing Norgay
Padma Bhushan, Supradipta-Manyabara-Nepal-Tara Tenzing Norgay, GM born Namgyal Wangdi and often referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer...
and Edmund Hillary
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
. This entailed negotiating the Valley of Silence and the flank of Lhotse
Lhotse
Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Everest via the South Col. In addition to the main summit at 8,516 metres above sea level, Lhotse Middle is and Lhotse Shar is...
to the South Col
South Col
The South Col usually refers to the southern col between Mount Everest and Lhotse, the first and fourth highest mountains in the world. When climbers attempt to climb Everest from the southeast ridge in Nepal, their final camp is situated on the South Col...
and onwards over the southeast ridge to the peak.
Hornbein and Unsoeld, however, chose a different route.