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1 Japanese mountaineer and entrepreneur Nobukazu summit the mountain during the fair-weather months of Kuriki dedicated his life to climbing and spent much April and May because the summer monsoon brings soft of his career attempting Mount Everest. In a quest snow and an increased likelihood of avalanches. There mountaineers call “The Seven Summits,” reaching is also a brief opportunity to hike in September after the the highest peak on each of the seven continents, he monsoon, but then winter storms begin in October and found success on six. But in eight attempts up Everest, last through March, making climbing impossible during Kuriki faced more obstacles than successes. After three that time. attempts in which he was unable to surpass 8,000 meters (about 26,000 feet), the climber suffered through 4 Even in the mild-weather months, conditions on Mount a devastating blizzard during his fourth attempt in 2012, Everest are too extreme to sustain plant and animal life. spending two days in a below-freezing snow hole and Cold temperatures, powerful winds, and a lack of oxygen losing parts of nine fingers to frostbite. But that didn’t make prolonged survival impossible. The amount of stop Kuriki, known for his solo attempts without using breathable oxygen is one-third the amount at sea level, supplemental oxygen. Undeterred, he attempted the and the lack of oxygen at this high altitude has intense mountain four more times. On his eighth attempt, Kuriki effects on the human body. Breathing and pulse rates lost his life. Climbing guides received an emergency radio become more rapid as the body attempts to obtain message and attempted a rescue, but it was too late— more oxygen. Individuals cannot digest food as well, Sherpa guides found his body in his tent. might sleep poorly, feel exhausted or dizzy, experience headaches, and become more easily confused. Oxygen- 2 It was reported earlier in his final attempt that Kuriki deprived climbers can become mentally debilitated, had been suffering from cough, fever, and pain, yet he unable to think through safety risks or perform operations pushed on. What would propel a man to push through critical to their well-being. such punishing conditions—especially without the aid of oxygen? The draw of Mount Everest is a mysterious 5 The body may also take very extreme and often force. devastating measures to counteract oxygen deprivation. High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) occurs when the Conquering the Beast body responds by attempting to route more oxygen to the brain. This increases blood flow to the brain, which 3 Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth. Its highest point reaches approximately 8,850 meters (about can result in swelling and even coma and death. High- 29,000 feet), high enough to touch the lower limit of jet altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is the body’s similar stream winds that flow through the upper atmosphere. response of trying to get more oxygen to deprived The mountain is part of the Great Himalayas in southern organs, flooding air sacs in the lungs with blood. In this Asia on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Its summit case a person essentially drowns. The treatment for both is covered by hardened snow and topped by softer, HACE and HAPE is to get the afflicted person to a lower falling snow that varies in depth by 5 to 20 feet every elevation with more oxygen, which is often difficult and year. The snow is typically deepest in September after sometimes impossible given the unforgiving conditions of accumulating from the summer monsoon. The warm the mountain. season occurs in July—the average daytime temperature Climbing Mount Everest is physically, mentally, and 6 a punishing -2°F. January is the coldest month, with emotionally demanding. Often, it’s deadly. And yet, each daytime temperatures averaging -33°F, sometimes year about 1,200 people attempt to reach the summit. dipping as low as -76°F. Mountaineers often attempt to When Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary first

reached Everest’s summit in 1953, they could hardly have 8 Taking on Mount Everest provides some climbers with a imagined that more than 4,000 climbers would follow in sense of purpose. Beck Weathers, a survivor of the 1996 their footsteps. Today’s Everest is an industry where hired Mount Everest disaster, pursued mountaineering as a way climbers called Sherpas lead expeditions of skilled and to cope with depression. He valued the rigor and rewards novice climbers alike who can afford the $35,000 price of climbing, as did fellow survivor John Taske. Taske, tag of a guided trip. And though around 4,000 climbers who had struggled to assimilate back into civilian life after have successfully conquered the beast, more than 200 leaving the military, turned to mountain climbing because have died, many of their bodies never recovered from of the challenges, camaraderie, and sense of mission it the mountain. Even with the very real threat of death, the supplemented into his life. number of Everest attempts and summits are growing. 9 Still, others are inspired to take on Everest because of Why Face the Mountain? their deep reverence for the mountain-climbing lifestyle. It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. Brendan Leonard, a travel and adventure writer, writes —Sir Edmund Hillary that “mountains are wonderful places because they are dangerous.” There are no posted signs or safety railings to warn of impending danger; mountains are wild. They 7 The sense of pride and accomplishment reported by those who have climbed Everest is virtually indescribable. are remote and exposed. Climbers are free to explore the Spending even a moment atop the highest point on terrain and their own limits, bearing in mind that they can’t the globe requires intense preparation and fortitude in just leave when the going gets tough. Anatoli Boukreev, the face of challenges that no training on Earth could yet another 1996 Everest disaster survivor, had this to say possibly anticipate. The trek forces climbers to look inside about mountains: “Mountains are not stadiums where I themselves and decide whether they want to or can push satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals onward despite the many reasons to stop. where I practice my religion. I go to them as humans go to worship. From their lofty summits I view my past, dream

Causes of Death on Everest

of the future and with unusual acuity I am allowed to adrenaline rush, actually crave a feeling of control. experience my present moment. My strength renewed, my vision cleared, in the mountains I celebrate creation. In the Shadow of the Mountain On each journey I am re-born.” 11 Despite the danger that Everest poses, for many climbers and adventurists, it remains the ultimate 10 Finally, some believe natural-born thrill-seekers ambition. The shadow of Everest looms large, a magnetic are pulled to Everest. Those with sensation-seeking pull that, for those like Nobukazu Kuriki, is worthy of personalities pursue novel, complex, and intense risking it all. experiences to satisfy their need for high levels of stimulation. Risk-takers have been identified as T-Type personalities, a disposition that appears to run in families, hinting at genetic roots and biological mechanisms. A dopamine dysregulation in one brain pathway responsible for reward-motivated behavior may prompt sensation- seekers to act more extremely. The receptors in the brain appear to need more than normal stimulation to deliver the same feelings of satisfaction that people with more typical receptors feel. Therefore, thrill-seekers may partake in dangerous activities to feel that same gratification. However, other scientists reject this theory, pointing out the monotony and toil that is the reality of climbing Everest. Researcher Matthew Barlow’s studies suggest that mountaineers, rather than seeking an

The 1996 Everest Disaster

On May 10, 1996, four groups of climbers were caught in an unexpected blizzard high on the mountain that killed eight. Rob Hall and Scott Fischer were the leaders of Adventure Consultants (AC) and Mountain Madness (MM) climbing groups, respectively. They decided to work together and take their teams to the summit the same day, with one guide from each team assigned to set the ropes leading to the summit. However, when one of the guides did not ascend, the other guide refused to go alone. Because the ropes were not ready, a bottleneck effect occurred near the summit. The mountain was crowded, perhaps due to over- commercialization and competition to reach the top. This hold up would prove fatal for many delayed in the summit and descent process. Although the guides knew they were off schedule, they continued to lead their clients to the peak. Little did they know a storm was brewing below.

Client Doug Hansen summited around 4:00 p.m. and collapsed shortly thereafter. Hall refused to leave him, and they were both trapped and ultimately killed in the storm. Guide Neal Beidleman acted with superhuman strength to drag five stranded climbers to a safer location to wait until he could retrieve help from Camp 4. Three of them were saved by Anatoli Boukreev, the lead guide for MM who had ascended and descended earlier in the day without aiding any climbers. Controversially, the three Boukreev managed to save were all members of his MM team—he deemed the other two AC climbers “unsavable.”

Tsewang Paljor was another victim of the storm. He tried to shelter himself in a cave but ultimately succumbed to the elements. He would become known as Green Boots (due to the lime green climbing boots he was wearing when he died) by climbers in the following decades who used his body as a landmark on their attempt to summit. May 10, 1996, remained the deadliest day on Everest until the 2014 Everest avalanche.

READING COMPREHENSION

After reading “Climbing Mount Everest,” select the response(s) that best answer each multiple-choice question.

1. As depicted in paragraph 2, Kuriki’s decision to continue despite illness most strongly suggests that A. he was suffering from oxygen deprivation. B. he had to continue in order to fulfill a contract. C. he felt the pursuit of the summit was worth the risk of dying. D. he was not well prepared for the final climb to the summit.

2. Part A Which is a central idea of the text? A. There are many reasons people attempt to climb Everest, despite perilous dangers. B. Climbing Mount Everest is dangerous and senseless. C. Too many tourists with insufficient training attempt to scale Everest. D. Mount Everest is the most difficult of “The Seven Summits,” and the most prized among mountaineers.

Part B Select two details that support the development of the central idea in Part A? A. “… others are inspired to take on Everest because of their deep reverence for the mountain- climbing lifestyle.” B. “Taking on Mount Everest provides some climbers with a sense of purpose.” C. “Even in the mild-weather months, conditions on Mount Everest are too extreme to sustain plant and animal life.” D. “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” E. “High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) occurs when the body responds by attempting to route more oxygen to the brain.”

3. Reread paragraph 10. How do researchers differ in the ways they view mountaineers? A. While some researchers believe mountaineers need higher levels of stimulation than typical people, others think they should find different ways to meet this need. B. Some researchers think mountaineers are genetically inclined to seek out an adrenaline-rush, while others believe that they crave control. C. Many researchers study thrill-seeking related to mountain climbing, while others study personality types to discover why some people are more adept at climbing. D. Some researchers believe that mountaineers do not consider danger, while others believe that the quest is simply more important than the dangers presented.

4. Read the following sentence from the text.

“The warm season occurs in July—the average daytime temperature a punishing -2°F.”

What is the impact of the word punishing on the text’s meaning? A. It serves as a warning for those hoping to risk the mountain. B. It emphasizes the harsh conditions by contrasting the extremely cold temperature and the phrase “warm season.” C. It explains the difference between temperatures at different times of the year. D. It stresses the variability of the conditions on the mountain.

5. How does the author use the structure of the text to develop ideas? A. She provides a chronological account of Everest summit attempts, beginning with Sir Edmund Hillary. B. She uses the story of Kuriki in the introduction and conclusion to explain the difficulties of climbing Everest. C. She gives examples of both survivors and victims of Everest to warn against attempting the summit. D. She recounts the dangers of Mount Everest, then provides reasons that so many climbers are drawn to it.

6. Part A Closely reread the following sentence from the article.

“What would propel a man to push through such punishing conditions—especially without the aid of oxygen?”

How does the author’s question reveal her point of view? A. It supports her point of view that Everest seems to have an irresistible draw by questioning why someone would risk his life. B. It reveals her point of view that Everest is too dangerous to attempt alone by pointing out that Kuriki insisted on climbing alone, without oxygen. C. It shows her point of view that Everest climbers are some of the most dedicated mountaineers by emphasizing Kuriki’s commitment to finish. D. It supports her point of view that the feeling of accomplishing an Everest summit is indescribable and awe-inspiring.

Part B Which two pieces of evidence from the article support the answer in Part A? A. “Researcher Matthew Barlow’s studies suggest that mountaineers, rather than seeking an adrenaline rush, actually crave a feeling of control.” B. “Despite the danger that Everest poses, for many climbers and adventurists, it remains the ultimate ambition.” C. “Beck Weathers, a survivor of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, pursued mountaineering as a way to cope with depression.” D. “The shadow of Everest looms large, a magnetic pull that, for those like Nobukazu Kuriki, is worthy of risking it all.”

7. Look at the text box “Causes of Death on Everest.” What is the relationship between the statistics shown in the graph and the content of the article? A. The graph reveals the reasons that the dangers of Everest are greatly respected. B. The graph supports the author’s point of view that those who climb Everest put not only their own lives at risk, but others’ lives as well. C. The graph reveals the causes of death on Everest, which supports the author’s warning that novices should not attempt the mountain. D. The graph reveals the causes of death on Everest, which supports the author’s assertion that climbing Everest is extremely dangerous.

8. Select one detail that does not support the author’s claim that climbing Everest is a dangerous, even life-threatening, pursuit? A. The author provides both data showing the physical dangers and anecdotes of near-fatal and fatal experiences. B. The author gives several examples of how even well-trained climbers have been seriously injured or killed. C. The author provides evidence that the commercialization of Everest has made it much more dangerous than in decades past. D. The author provides data that shows the causes of death associated with climbing Everest.

9. Read this excerpt from journalist and mountaineer Jon Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster.

Straddling the top of the world, one foot in Tibet and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind, and stared absently at the vast sweep of earth below. I understood on some dim, detached level that it was a spectacular sight. I’d been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for many months. But now that I was finally here, standing on the summit of Mount Everest, I just couldn’t summon the energy to care.

Select two details from the article text that challenge Krakauer’s point of view. A. “Taske, who struggled to assimilate back into civilian life after leaving the military, turned to mountain climbing because of the challenges, camaraderie, and sense of mission it supplemented into his life.” B. “‘From their lofty summits I view my past, dream of the future and with unusual acuity I am allowed to experience my present moment. My strength renewed, my vision cleared, in the mountains I celebrate creation.’” C. “When Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary first reached Everest’s summit in 1953, they could hardly have imagined that more than 4,000 climbers would follow in their footsteps.” D. “May 10, 1996, remained the deadliest day on Everest until the 2014 Everest avalanche.” E. “The sense of pride and accomplishment reported by those who have climbed Everest is virtually indescribable.”

10. Reread the article’s final section titled “In the Shadow of the Mountain.” What tone is established by this paragraph? A. disapproving B. enthusiastic C. indifferent D. objective

Anchor Standard for Reading: 4

NOTES

Content Area Extension Article Japanese mountaineer and…: Wootson, Clove R., Jr. “He Lost His Fingers Trying to Climb Everest. On His Eighth Attempt, He Lost His Life.” Washington Post, May 21, 2018. Accessed August 6, 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/05/21/he-lost-his-fingers-trying-to-climb-everest-on-his-eighth-attempt-he-lost-his-life/?noredirect=on&utm_term=. c796e4333833 It was reported…: Wootson. “He Lost His Fingers Trying to Climb Everest.” Mount Everest is…: Tenzing, Norgay, et al. “Mount Everest.” Encyclopedia Britannica, last updated June 27, 2018. Accessed August 6, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Everest Even in the…: Tenzing, et al. “Mount Everest.” The body may…: Tenzing, et al. “Mount Everest.” And, yet, each…: Wootson. “He Lost His Fingers Trying to Climb Everest.” When Tenzing Norgay…: Tarbox, Katherine. “The Economics of Everest.” Time, January 23, 2012. Accessed August 6, 2018. http://business.time.com/2012/01/23/the-economics-of-everest/ And though around…: Nuwer, Rachel. “Death in the Clouds: The Problem with Everest’s 200+ Bodies.” BBC Future, October 9, 2015. Accessed August 6, 2018. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151008-the-graveyard-in-the-clouds-everests-200-dead-bodies Even with the…: Arnette, Alan. “Everest by the Numbers: 2018 Edition.” (blog) alanarnette.com. Accessed August 6, 2018. http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2017/12/17/everest-by-the-numbers-2018-edition/ It is not…: “Would you want to climb Mr. Everest? Why or why not?” Quora. Accessed August 6, 2018. https://www.quora.com/Would-you-want-to-climb-Mt-Everest-Why-or-why-not?redirected_qid=15418990 The sense of…: Sohn, Emily. “Mt. Everest: Why Do People Keep Climbing It?” Live Science, April 22, 2014. Accessed August 6, 2018. https://www.livescience.com/45041-mt-everest-why-do-people-keep-climbing-it.html Beck Weathers, a…: “Would you want to climb Mr. Everest? Why or why not?” Quora. Brendan Leonard, a…: Leonard, Brendan. “Why Mount Everest Is the Wild Climb They Can’t Resist.” CNN.com, May 24, 2016. Accessed August 6, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/24/opinions/mt-everest-deaths-why-climb-leonard/index.html Anatoli Boukreev, yet…: “Would you want to climb Mr. Everest? Why or why not?” Quora. Those with sensation-seeking…: Tala, Angelina. “Why Would Anyone Climb Mount Everest?” Healthlline.com, June 16, 2016. Accessed August 6, 2018. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-climb-mount-everest#1 However, other scientists…: Nuwer. “Death in the Clouds: The Problem with Everest’s 200+ Bodies.”

“Causes of Deaths on Everest” Text Box Nuwer, Rachel. “Death in the Clouds: The Problem with Everest’s 200+ Bodies.” BBC Future, October 9, 2015. Accessed August 6, 2018. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151008-the-graveyard-in-the-clouds-everests-200-dead-bodies

“The 1996 Everest Disaster” Text Box Leger, C. J. “The 1996 Everest Disaster – The Whole Story.” Base Camp Magazine, December 31, 2016. Accessed August 6, 2018. https://basecampmagazine.com/2016/12/31/the-1996-everest-disaster-the-whole-story/

Reading Comprehension Questions Question 9 (excerpt)…: Krakauer, Jon, and Randy Rackliff. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster. New York City: Villard Books, 1997.

“Climbing Mount Everest” Mini Lesson G.R.A.S.P....: Manzo, Anthony V. Teaching Children to be Literate: A Reflective Approach. Harcourt-Brace, 1995.