Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep203: Climbing Mt. Everest

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Ep203: Climbing Mt. Everest · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts yours.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today, we're going on a thrilling adventure to learn all
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  about climbing Mount Everest. Get ready to discover what it
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  takes to reach the top of the highest mountain on Earth.
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  Let's start with the basics. Mount Everest is the tallest
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  mountain above sea level in the world.
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  It stands at 8848 meters tall. That's about the same as
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  stacking almost 29 statue of liberties on top of each other.
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  Everest is part of the Himalaya mountain range, which stretches
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  across five countries, Bhutan, India, Nepal, China and
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  Pakistan. But Mount Everest sits right on
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  the border between Nepal and the Tibet region of China.
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  Climbing Mount Everest is a huge challenge, and only a few
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  thousand people have ever reached the very top.
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  The people who try are called climbers or Mountaineers.
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  Some are adults, but there have been a few kids as young as 13
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  who have reached the summit. Still, it's something that takes
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  years of practice, planning and training.
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  Now, let's talk about how people get to Mount Everest.
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  Most climbers start their journey by flying to Kathmandu,
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  which is the capital city of Nepal.
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  From there, they take a small plane to a place called Luckla.
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  Luckla has an airport that is famous for being very short and
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  surrounded by mountains. After landing, climbers began
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  hiking through small villages and forests.
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  They walk for several days before reaching a place called
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  Everest Base Camp. Everest Base Camp is like a
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  small village of tents where climbers rest, get used to the
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  high altitude and make final preparations for their climb.
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  You might wonder, what is altitude?
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  Altitude is how high something is above the sea level.
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  As you go higher up, the air gets thinner, which means there
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  is less oxygen to breathe. That's why just walking around
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  at Everest Base Camp, which is already higher than any mountain
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  in the United States, can make people feel tired.
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  Climbers spend time at base camp to get used to the altitude.
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  This is called acclimatization. It helps their bodies adjust to
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  having less oxygen. After spending about a week at
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  base camp, climbers start to move up the mountain in stages.
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  These stages are called camps. There are usually 4 main camps
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  before the summit. Each camp is higher than the
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  last. To get from 1 camp to another,
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  climbers follow a path that has been marked by ropes and
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  ladders. Sometimes they even have to
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  cross deep cracks in the ice called crevasses.
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  To do this, they use ladders laid across the gaps, and they
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  wear special safety harnesses to keep from falling.
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  Climbers wear special clothing and gear to protect themselves
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  from the freezing temperatures and strong winds.
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  At the top of Everest, temperatures can drop to -40°C,
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  which is colder than a freezer. Climbers wear thick jackets,
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  pants, gloves, and boots all filled with down, which is a
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  type of soft feather. They also wear goggles to
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  protect their eyes from the bright sunlight reflecting off
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  the snow. One of the most famous parts of
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  the climb is the Kumbu Icefall. This is a section of the
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  mountain between base camp and Camp One.
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  It's made-up of giant blocks of ice that are always moving and
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  shifting. Climbing through the Kumbu
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  Icefall is dangerous because the ice can crack or fall at any
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  moment. That's why climbers usually go
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  through it very early in the morning when the ice is less
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  likely to move. Did you know that Mount Everest
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  keeps growing a tiny bit every year?
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  Scientists have measured it and found that it gets about 4mm
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  taller each year because the plates under the earth are
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  pushing together. That's about the thickness of
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  two stacked pencils. Climbers are not alone on Mount
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  Everest. They are helped by Sherpas, who
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  are people from the local area. Sherpas are famous for their
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  strength and ability to live and work at high altitudes.
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  They help carry supplies, set up camps, and guide climbers up the
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  mountain. Many Sherpas have climbed
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  Everest many times. 1 Sherpa named Cami Rita has reached the
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  summit more than 25 times. As climbers move higher, the air
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  gets even thinner. Above 8000 meters is a place
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  called the Death Zone. This is not because of anything
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  scary, but because there is so little oxygen that the human
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  body can only survive for a short time.
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  To help them breathe, climbers use special oxygen tanks like
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  the one scuba divers use underwater, but these are for
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  breathing in thin air. To keep their energy up,
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  climbers eat special foods that are easy to carry and full of
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  calories. They eat things like noodles,
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  rice, chocolate bars and energy gels.
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  Drinking water is important too, but at high altitudes, water can
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  freeze quickly. Climbers melt snow to make
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  water. They use small gas stoves to
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  heat up the snow and turn it into something they can drink.
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  Climbing Mountain Everest is not a race.
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  It's important to go slowly and carefully.
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  Weather can change quickly and storms can blow in with strong
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  winds and heavy snow. Sometimes climbers have to wait
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  at a camp for several days until it is safe to go higher.
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  Did you know that the first people to ever reach the top of
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  Mount Everest were Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and
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  Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa from Nepal?
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  They made it to the summit on May 29th, 1953.
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  They became famous all around the world and their climb is
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  still remembered as one of the greatest achievements in
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  history. When climbers reach the very
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  top, they are standing at the highest point on earth.
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  The view is amazing. They can see for miles in every
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  direction, with mountains, clouds and blue sky all around.
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  Many climbers take a photo or leave a small flag to remember
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  the moment, but they don't stay long because it's very cold and
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  there is not much oxygen. Coming back down is just as
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  important as going up. In fact, most accidents happen
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  on the way down because climbers are tired and the weather can
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  change quickly. That's why climbers have to stay
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  focused and careful all the way back to base camp.
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  Mount Everest is a special place not just for climbers but for
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  people all around the world. It is known as Sigarmatha in
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  Nepali and Komalungma in Tibetan.
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  Both names mean Mother of the Universe or Goddess of the
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  world. Many people believe the mountain
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  is sacred. Each year, hundreds of people
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  try to climb Mount Everest, but not everyone makes it to the
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  top. Some turn back because of bad
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  weather, health problems or because it's just too hard.
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  That's OK, because staying safe is the most important thing.
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  Climbing Everest teaches people about teamwork, patience and
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  respect for nature. Did you know that the youngest
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  person to climb Mount Everest was Jordan Romero from the
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  United States? He climbed the mountain when he
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  was just thirteen years old in 2010.
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  The oldest person to reach the summit was Yuichiro Miura from
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  Japan, who was 80 years old when he made it to the top in 2013.
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  Mount Everest is also home to many plants and animals.
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  At lower altitudes, you can find forests with pine trees,
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  rhododendrons, and even red pandas.
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  Higher up, there are snow leopards and Himalayan tars,
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  which are a type of wild goat. Near the top, almost nothing can
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  live because it is too cold and there is not enough air.
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  Climbers have to be careful to keep Everest clean.
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  In the past, some people left trash behind, like empty oxygen
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  tanks, food wrappers and broken gear.
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  Today, there are special rules to help protect the mountain.
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  Climbers must bring all their trash back with them, and there
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  are teams that help clean up the mountain each year.
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  Climbing Mount Everest is not just about reaching the top.
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  It's about preparing, working together, and respecting the
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  power of nature. People who climb Everest often
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  say that the most important part is the journey and the things
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  they learn along the way. Let's do a quick recap of what
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  we learned today. Mount Everest is the highest
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  mountain in the world, standing at 8848.86 meters.
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  Climbers must travel through Nepal or Tibet to reach base
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  camp, and then they move up the mountain in stages, stopping at
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  camps. Along the way.
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  They face challenges like freezing temperatures, thin air,
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  and tricky ice falls. Sherpas help climbers carry
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  supplies and guide them safely. Climbers use special gear, eat
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  high energy food and melt snow for water.
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  The first people to reach the summit were Sir Edmund Hillary
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  and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. The youngest climber to reach
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  the top was 13 years old and the oldest was 80.
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  Mount Everest is home to unique plants and animals and is a
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  sacred place for many people. Thanks for joining us on this
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  adventure up Mount Everest. We hope you had fun learning
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  about what it takes to climb the world's highest mountain.
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  Remember, every big journey starts with a single step, and
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  there's a whole world out there to explore.
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  Come back tomorrow for more news, trivia, fun facts, and
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  amazing stories right here on Kit Cast Daily.
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  Grab your breakfast. Feeling fine?
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  Adventures waiting you? Don't be late.
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  Today's the day we celebrate Kit cast daily.