The South Summit

The South Summit of Mt. Everest, a subsidiary peak to the primary peak of Mount Everest, is the second-highest peak on Earth in the Himalayas. The elevation of the south summit is 8,749 metres, higher than Mount K2, 8,611 metres, the second-highest summit on Earth. However, the South Summit of Mount Everest is considered a separate summit but not an independent mountain to be the second-highest on Earth.

The Everest South Summit is connected to the summit of Everest by the Cornice Traverse and Hillary Step. The shape of Everest South Summit is dome-shaped in snow and ice. Charles Evans and Tom Bourdillon, the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition members, first achieved this summit on 26 May 1953. The same team reached the Summit of Everest following a successful summit by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa. The distance between these two summits, Everest South Summit and the main summit, is only 130 metres.

The South Summit is a strategic place for climbers for various reasons, including turning around. From here, the cornice traverse, Hillary Step, and the summit of Everest get in the scene in clear weather. In addition, it is a strategic spot for climbers to change their oxygen bottles for climbers using bottled oxygen.