Death Zone
The area above 8000m on mountain peaks is known as the death zone - there are 14 mountains over 8000m, 8 of them are here in Nepal.
The reason it's called the Death Zone is that our bodies are just not designed to withstand the harsh conditions and extended exposure to this altitude will result in death.
Bodily functions shut down leading to coma and then death.
If you were to be dropped on the summit of Mt Everest you would be gasping for breath immediately and very soon after you would black out and die from lack of oxygen.
In fact there is only 33% the amount of oxygen in comparison to sea level which is what makes climbing Everest so tough.
It is possible with correct acclimatisation to reach the summit of Everest without oxygen which was first achieved climbing legend Reinhold
Messner.
He is also the first man to climb all 14 8000m peaks. He has written many famous books (in German) with The Crystal Mountain being the most famous.
What is fascinating is that from pretty much above 4500m above sea level is generally inhospitable to all kinds of life not just humans.
When you consider the size of the universe with it's billions and billions upon billions of stars then our planet is tiny in comparison - we are literally floating on a speck of dust in the vast cosmos - and everything and everyone you have ever known and ever will know lives on this tiny speck of dust.
And even on this speck of dust we call home there are places that are deadly to human life, the freezing poles, the burning deserts and the oxygen thin mountains.
When you consider this it makes you realise we have but a fraction of a speck of dust to support our entire race and everything that has ever been and ever will be - from this perspective it makes you realise it is time to take care of our home.
Michael Scully, Appco Group Deutschland
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