Three Pinnacles

The Three Pinnacles are a steep rock formation along the northeast ridge of Mount Everest. Select one of the longest remaining undissolved problems of high altitude mountaineering, which is now released.

The rocks are in foot heights of about 7800, 8100 and 8200 meters above sea level and are thus already in the death zone, in which people are no longer able to regenerate even at rest.

The normal routes on Everest avoid this area; the normal northern route they can literally be left.

In various attempts to conquer Pinnacles opening a new route across the entire northeast ridge, there was regular serious problems and deaths: 1982 died Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker at the first serious attempt to tackle climbing in the 5th level of difficulty in the death zone. Joe Tasker disappeared; ten years after his death found 1992 Kazakh climbers Peter Boardman 's body at the foot of the second Pinnacles sitting, as if he was asleep.

1988 finally succeeded Russell Brice and his partner Harry Taylor, the master Three Pinnacles; they were, however, after climbing the third Pinnacles so exhausted that they abandoned their original plan to go over the other, with the normal route then identical way to the summit. Instead, they rose above the normal route along the northern ridge right down to the North Col.

Only in 1995 defeated a team from a Japanese university, supported by a huge crowd of about 35 Sherpa high -makers, the entire northeast ridge route, including the Three Pinnacles in both directions. The Sherpas had virtually assured the entire route with fixed ropes. Only after this route was, a group of Japanese went to the summit.

To date, this section of the mighty mountain is almost always avoided; for great are the difficulties, which moreover extend at the Pinnacles in addition to the weather, the cold, the winds and the altitude of the terrain issues.

Almost all mountaineering tasks on Mount Everest have now been resolved; there remain two ways to hold at the extraordinary difficulties: a rise in the avalanche-prone east wall direttissima - only still unerstiegener direct ascent on Everest - and a climb on the north pillar of the east wall, on the (after a saying of George Mallory ) so-called " Phantasy Ridge ". This ridge ends at the middle Northeast Ridge - below the Three Pinnacles. A climber who wants to rise above the " Phantasy Ridge " and well wishes on the summit, after the East Ridge must then also on the northeast ridge, the Three Pinnacles master.