Essential Everest Reads

The man known affectionately as the 'Swiss Machine' lived life on the cutting edge. Here, we gather the remembrances of those who knew him best.

The 44-year-old Nepali woman broke her own record on the world’s highest peak

Nepal official warns of disease

Our continued fascination with the highest mountain on earth spawns a virtual reality “experience”

The longtime guide with Alpine Ascents summited for the 21st time on May 27, tying Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi for the most summits on the world's highest mountain

The superstar DJ trained for months to be able to make the hike to Everest Base Camp for his live show

For more than a century, Western climbers have hired Nepal’s Sherpas to do the most dangerous work on Mount Everest. It’s a lucrative way of life in a poor region, but no service industry in the world so frequently kills and maims its workers for the benefit of paying clients. The dead are often forgotten, and their families left with nothing but ghosts.

High-altitude workers put everything on the line, hauling climbers’ gear up and down the mountain, and aren’t compensated fairly. Their lives are worth more.

The deadliest single day in the history of Everest claimed 16 Sherpas in an instant. And, yes, there is something that needs to be done about it.

There's nobody more qualified to drag you to the top of the world than Babu Chiri Sherpa. And he'll gladly do it. But when he's through, he's got some business of his own to attend to. Namely, obliterating every last climbing record on Everest, shattering the myth of his people as high-altitude baggage handlers, and taking the Sherpa brand global.

A new documentary tells the other side of the growing labor dispute at the top of the world

Survivors from Everest '96 recall a day of terror and confusion that many still believe was distorted in ways that oversimplified complex events and dishonored the dead.

Sending Jon Krakauer to Everest was my idea. After the news broke, I spent the better part of a day wondering if I'd put him in a frozen grave.

An oral history of Everest's endearingly dysfunctional village

On a sunny day in 1953, a tall young New Zealander named Edmund Hillary became the first human to stand atop the world's highest mountain—and, thereafter, a paragon of grace and bonhomie for explorers who would follow.

You were told that Everest base camp is an insult to the true spirit of mountaineering. (Harrumph.) But why weren't you told about the excellent bars, the butter people, and that friendly Playboy bunny from Poland? The author spends a month at the world's most exclusive party town.

Is it possible to guide safely on Everest? Or will the mountain always demand its pound of flesh? MARK JENKINS talks to a dream team of veterans—between them, they've reached the summit 17 times—in a frank look at the risks, rewards, and nightmares of taking clients to the top.

The true story of the mountain's most horrific day, the Sherpas who paid the price, and the aftershocks that will change the mountain forever

A trip to Base Camp reveals how a complicated mix of politics and passion has scuttled the 2014 Everest season in Nepal

Climbing Sherpas suffer the highest mortality rate on Mount Everest. We ran the numbers, and the results will shock you.

The 2014 season has ended in Nepal, and some mountaineers are turning toward Tibet, where ascents continue. Can they overcome Chinese complexities and turn the north side into the new Everest norm?

In a remarkable rescue effort, helicopter pilots ferried dozens of climbers to safety from Camps I and II. Meanwhile, reports continue to come in from other Himalayan peaks—including Makalu and Annapurna—that were hit by powerful avalanches.

After falling rocks and ice tore through Base Camp on April 25, stranded climbers struggle to care for their wounded and dead.

A photographer with 6 Summits Challenge, an international team of climbers lead by Nick Cienski, whom Outside senior editor Grayson Schaffer spoke with yesterday, captured these images during the rescue efforts.

Two German climbers capture the horrific scene at Base Camp as it unfolds

Across the Web, the Silicon Valley executive has been recognized for his role in bringing Street View to Everest and his other accomplishments at Google. Here, two close friends recall the spontaneity and energy that made him so endearing.

The avalanche that effectively closed Everest last spring hasn't stopped crowds of climbers from flocking to Base Camp. These are the stories that will define another controversial season.