The Second Step

Mount Everest the highest mountain in the world can be climbed from Nepal (South side) or Tibet (North side). Both sides have its pros and cons on reaching the summit and neither is said to be any easier than the other.

High up on the North East Ridge route from the Tibet side there are three protruding lumps of rock which must be ascended to reach the summit. These lumps of rock are called the First, Second and Third Steps.

One of the most difficult hurdles that climbers have to face is the Second Step. It is situated at a height of approximately 28,140ft. It is in two sections, the lower part consists of large boulders, followed by a steep snow gully that leads you onto the fixed ladder. Overall it is about a 130feet in height. If this Second Step was at sea level it would be classed as a ‘walk in the park’.

What make’s this a hard obstacle to over come is the altitude and the exposure. The ever presence of falling, waiting around for your turn to climb or fear of getting frostbite makes it even worse for the climber. The climber usually ascends the Second Step in total darkness after leaving there top camp at around midnight. Descending the Step on the way back down from the summit is no easier, you are basically blind to as where you are putting your feet and the climber must remember that he/she is totally exhausted from their summit bid, and any little mistake made by tiredness could be fatal.

Having climbed the large boulders of the lower section the climber is then faced with a 30 foot aluminum ladder. This ladder is there to help aid the climber over the last section of rock and was placed there in 1975 by a Chinese expedition. The whole of the Second Step from bottom to top has fixed ropes to help the climber ascend and descend it.

Since the ladder has been in place everyone makes the most of its presence and uses it to help them ascend the Second Step. Today, many people wonder if the likes of George Leigh Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew Irvine could have climbed the Second Step back in 1924 without any ladder being there. It is an interesting thought, as many of the worlds best climbers of today have had to rely on the use of the fixed ladder. Maybe it was beyond Mallory and Irvine’s climbing capability to ascend it, then again, with the climbing skills and determination that Mallory had maybe it was within there capability and they managed to climb it with ease, who knows!

Thanks to the presence of the ladder at the Second Step it has made life for the climber just a little bit easier. Nearly all those who ascend the Second Step go on to fulfill their life time dreams by reaching and standing on the summit of the highest mountain on earth.