sherpanoun

A male member of the Sherpa people employed as a mountain guide or porter

summitnoun

a peak; the top of a mountain

elevationnoun

That which is raised up or elevated; an elevated place or station; as, an elevation of the

ground; a hill.

sea levelnoun

Height of the surface of the oceans above which heights of geographical features and aircraft flight levels are

measured.

abyssnoun

A bottomless depth, gulf, or chasm; any deep, immeasurable,

or bottomless pit

peaknoun

The very top of the mountain

securenoun

To make free from dangerVerb

Free from danger

yaknoun

An ox-like mammal native to the Himalayas and Tibet with dark, long and silky hair a horse like tail

and a full, bushy mane

glaciernoun

A large body of ice which flows under its own mass, usually

downhill.

altitudenoun

The height measured from sea level up to any given point.

A vertical distance.

acclimatizationnoun

The process of becoming used to a new climate

acclimateverb

To learn to endure or survive in a climate from which you are not

native

gearnoun

Equipment needed specifically for an athletic endeavor

expeditionnoun

A journey taken by a group of people with a definite objective

base campnoun

Area used for staging an attempt to reach the summit of a mountain

17,700 feet

Advanced base camp (ABC)

nounStaging area 2 or Camp 2 for

attempts to summit21,300 feet

crevassenoun

Crack or opening (fissure) in a glacier or ice field

Death zonenoun

Last area before attempting to summit; climbers can only endure

being in the death zone for 2-3 days; high risk for altitude sickness &

frostbite

frostbitenoun

The freezing of some part of the body

descendVerb

To pass from a higher to a lower place; to move downwards

avalanchenoun

A large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down

a mountain side