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North Ridge Route

5B | TD+/ED1 | V/VI Edit route
This is the principal Tibetan route to Everest, climbing the Rongbuk Glacier to the North Col and then following the North Ridge and Northeast Ridge to the summit. It is a very serious high-altitude route with long exposure, severe weather, and technical obstacles on the upper ridge, including the famous Steps.

Route Outline

Tibet side approach -> Everest North Base Camp
North Base Camp -> Rongbuk Glacier -> Advanced Base Camp -> North Col
North Col -> North Ridge -> First, Second, and Third Steps -> Northeast Ridge
Summit from the Northeast Ridge
Descend the same route to North Col and base camps

More routes on Mount Everest

South Col Route

5B | TD+/ED1 | V/VI
The standard Nepal-side route to Everest, first climbed by the 1953 British expedition, ascends the Khumbu Icefall, Western Cwm, Lhotse Face, and Southeast Ridge. It is a high-altitude expedition route with major objective hazards including crevasses, serac fall, avalanche danger, and extreme altitude exposure.
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West Ridge Route

6B | ED2 | VII
The West Ridge is a major, very difficult alpine route on Everest and is far less commonly climbed than the South Col or North Ridge routes. It is a serious objective with complex mixed climbing, route-finding challenges, and significant objective hazards on a remote side of the mountain.
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