Has anyone ever climbed Everest or attempted it, if so why and how fit do you have to be?

Answer 1

Never climbed Everest or attempted to. Climbed maybe 2 or 3,000 other mountains including some pretty big ones but nothing quite on the scale of Everest.

To do so you need to be supremely fit or you need to be rich enough to pay a team of Sherpas to effectively carry you and all your gear up to the top. You need to be rich anyway, the peak fees were $50,000 and I think they've now gone up to $70,000.

The thing about Everest and all the highest peaks in the world is that you need not only physical fitness but mental fitness as well. At very high altitudes you enter the Death Zone, at these heights your brain is devoid of oxygen and starts to do strange things. You lose all sense of reality and behaviour becomes irrational, a lot of people die as a result of doing things they'd never ordinarily do.

The physical effort is extreme to say the least - towards the summit you have to rest after each step you take.

The use of bottled oxygen eases things but it's only supplemental oxygen. The cylinders are quite heavy and don't last that long when the regulator (release valve) is fully open. It would be impractical to carry enough oxygen up the mountain for you to breath all the time.

There is a saying that any fool can get up Everest with enough money and this is largely true. There are so many guides and porters that can be hired that everything can be done for you. If I were ever to attempt Everest (highly unlikely) I'd want to do it in the true Alpine Style - self sufficient, minimum people, quick and smooth - that way it's your own achievement.

Answer 2

I have seen many reports of Himalaya expeditions. You have to be very fit. It will take you at least 5 days. For the last 2 section you will need an oxygen tube.