Climbing Mt. Everest from Tibet's North Side - The Road Less Traveled

While there are many discovered and named climbing routes on Everest, two routes are most commonly climbed: The South Col route starting from Nepal, and the Northeast Ridge Standard, or The North Col route, starting from Tibet. Mt. Everest was first summited by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953 via The South Col route. Since their historic accomplishment, their path has been the most traveled. This is mainly due to the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, at which time they shuttered access to Mt. Everest, via Tibet, to all foreigners until 1980. Since then, attaining permits to the Northeast Ridge has been a challenge, resulting in far fewer climbs through Tibet's gates. The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in 2020 provided another reason for the Chinese to restrict access to outsiders seeking access from the north. The north side opened this year for the first time since 2019, making both routes open to expeditions from around the world. ACCESS TO THE NORTH FACE.  Mt. Everest's North Face has a ric