Western Cwm

The Western Cwm with the Lhotse face in the background

The Western Cwm (/kuːm/) is a broad, flat, gently undulating glacial valley basin terminating at the foot of the Lhotse Face of Mount Everest. It was named by George Mallory when he saw it in 1921 as part of the British Reconnaissance Expedition that was the first to explore the upper sections of Everest, searching for routes for future summit attempts;^[1] Cwm is Welsh for a cirque.

The Western Cwm is traversed by climbers using the southeast route to the summit of Everest, and is typically accessed by climbing through the Khumbu Icefall. The central section is cut by massive lateral crevasses which bar entrance into the upper Western Cwm. In this section, climbers must cross to the far right, over to the base of Nuptse to a narrow passageway known as the Nuptse corner. From there, climbers can see the upper 2,400 m (7,900 ft) of Everest—the first glimpse of Everest's upper slopes since arriving at Base Camp.

The snow-covered, bowl-shaped slopes surrounding the Western Cwm reflect and amplify solar radiation, warming the valley basin despite its high elevation of 6,000 m (20,000 ft) through 6,800 m (22,300 ft).^[2] On a sunny windless day, temperatures can reach up to 35 °C (95 °F).

References

↑ Krakauer, Jon (1997). Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster. New York: Villard. ISBN 0-385-49478-5. p. 7
↑ Krakauer 186–187

Coordinates: 27°58′51″N 86°53′53″E / 27.98083°N 86.89806°E / 27.98083; 86.89806

Mount Everest

Topography and landmarks	Base Camp Geneva Spur Hillary Step Hornbein Couloir Kangshung Face Kangshung Glacier Khumbu Glacier Khumbu Icefall Lhakpa La Lho La North Col North Face Norton Couloir Rongbuk Glacier South Col South Summit Three Pinnacles Three Steps "Green Boots cave" Western Cwm

Expeditions	1921 British reconnaisance 1922 British 1924 British (Affair of the Dancing Lamas) 1933 British 1935 British 1936 British 1938 British 1950–52 British–Swiss–US reconnaissance 1951 British 1952 Swiss 1953 British 1975 British SW Face 1996 Indo-Tibetan Border Police 2006 Philippine 2007 Altitude Everest expedition Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition Timeline of climbing Mount Everest List of Mount Everest guides

Disasters and notable deaths	1970 disaster 1974 avalanche 1996 disaster Green Boots David Sharp 2014 avalanche 2015 avalanches List of people who died climbing Mount Everest

Committees	Joint Himalayan Committee Mount Everest Committee

In media	Beyond the Edge The Climb (book) The Climb (2007 film) Everest (1998 film) Everest (2015 film) Everest (Indian TV series) Everest '82 Everest: Beyond the Limit EverestMax Expedition Everest (roller coaster) Into Thin Air The Man Who Skied Down Everest Mount Everest webcam Paths of Glory Peak The Wildest Dream Wings Over Everest

Mount Everest massif	Khumbutse Lhotse Lingtren Nuptse Pumori

Records	List of Mount Everest records Times to the summit 20th-century summiters

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