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An Incredible Tour of the World's Highest Peaks Via Google Maps Street View

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by Megan Barber Google Maps Street View of Camp Colera at 19,685 feet, on the way to summit Aconcagua From Mount Everest , the tallest mountain in the world, to Mount Kilimanjaro , the highest freestanding mountain in Africa, the world's highest peaks are stunning in their beauty. And while most of us use Google Maps to scope out a new coffee shop, the street view application lets you explore these awe-inspiring mountains without ever leaving the couch. ↑ Everest Base Camp: The Climbers Memorial is a sacred site located just above 14,000 feet, which honor the lives of fallen climbers on Mt. Everest. ↑ Most expeditions to the highest point on Earth are staged at Everest Base Camp, pictured here. ...

Mount Everest base camp in Tibet to reopen July 1

0 in Share Share More       BEIJING The Mt Everest base camp in Tibet will be reopened to climbers on July 1, the tourism authorities said on Tuesday. The base camp was closed for safety reasons following the 7.9-magnitude earthquake on April 25 that killed climbers and guides on Nepal's side of the mountain. Roads leading to the base camp will be subjected to periodic traffic controls, a spokesperson with the tourism bureau said, according to Xinhua news agency. The base camp, located 5,200 metres above sea level, saw 59,100 visitors in 2014. The earthquake killed over 9,000 people and injured more than 21,000.   For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE  To order your copy of Murder on Everest, CLICK HERE  To order your copy of Murder on Kilimanjaro , CLICK HERE Follow Charles Irion on Twitter HERE Friend Charles Irion on Facebook HERE Visit Charles Irion's YouTube channel HE...

WATCH: ‘Everest’ Thrilling Trailer Of Epic Climate Disaster

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The much awaited trailer of ‘Everest’, director Baltasar Kormákur’s 3D epic climate-disaster thriller has finally been unveiled. The film is based on true events and the trailer will undoubtedly give you goosebumps. The plot of the film is about the fatal 1996 Mount Everest expeditions detailed in Jon Krakeur’s best-selling book ‘Into Thin Air: A Personal Account’ of the Mt. Everest Disaster. Releasing on September 18, ‘Everest’ stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal

What can tourists do to help—not hinder—Nepal’s quake recovery?

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Do more than just taking pictures. (Reuters/Adnan Abidi) Susanne Becken Every year 800,000 international visitors travel to Nepal to experience its unique attractions. These include Sagarmatha National Park (Mt Everest), the Annapurna and Langtang trekking regions, and the Kathmandu Valley, which is dotted with UNESCO World Heritage sites such as the Durbar Squares in Patan and Bhaktapur. The April 25 earthquake and aftershocks seriously affected all these places. Tourism is critical to Nepal’s economy. The World Travel and Tourism Council reports that the industry contributed 8.9% to Nepal’s gross domestic product in 2014, supporting 1.1 million jobs. Before the earthquake, Nepal was the 26th fastest-growing tourism economy out of 188 countries. What impact will the earthquake have on tourism? Based on the Nepalese culture, tourism and civil aviation ministry’s tourism statistics, about 23,000 visitors would have been in...

How Climate Change Affects Mount Everest & These 5 Major Landmarks Around The World

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Greta Jochem Paula Bronstein/Getty Images News/Getty Images   If you still think climate change is a myth, think again. The New York Times recently reported that global climate change poses a risk to Mount Everest’s glaciers, and other natural monuments, parks, and cities around the world are facing the consequences of a hotter globe. Scientists published these frightening findings in a study in The Cryosphere , a European geoscience journal. According to the study, by 2100, most of the glaciers are likely to be gone. That means in the Hindu Kush Himalayan area where Mt. Everest is located, more than 5,500 glaciers could be lost forever. One of the leading scientists on the study, Dr. Joseph Shea, said: The worst-case scenario shows a 99 percent loss in glacial mass … but even if we start to slow down emissions somewhat, we may still see a 70 per cent reduction. Not surprisingly, Mt. Everest...

Mt Everest Glaciers Mostly Gone by 2100

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Devil may care climbers beware, you might have to start climbing Mt Everest like a regular rock if humans continue to even exist. According to a study published in The Cyrosphere, Mt Everest is going to change drastically due to climate change. If Dr. Joseph Shea and the co-authors of this study are to be believed, industry continually to operating like it has for years will shrink the glaciers around Mt Everest by 99 percent. Even if there is a moderate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions Mt Everest is estimated to lose around 70 percent of its natural beauty. This has shocked the team of researchers with Dr. Shea telling the New York Times, “We did not expect to see glaciers reduced at such a large scale…The numbers are quite frightening.” A forbidding sign indeed. The findings come from a computer model of glaciers the team built, that took into account the higher temperatures causing the ice t...

Nepal earthquake stirs debate on overcrowding and commercialisation of Everest

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(Mount Everest may be over…) There's no mistaking the twinge of pain in his voice as Jamling Tenzing Norgay speaks on the phone from Kathmandu. Mention the series of avalanches that were set off on the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest, and on some of the peaks around by the deadly earthquake last Saturday, killing at least 19 climbers of different nationalities, and he remains silent for a few seconds. As a Sherpa mountaineer and mountain guide, Norgay's sense of tragedy is palpable — what makes it even deeper is the family legacy; his father Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was the first summiteer of Mount Everest (along with Edmund Hillary) in 1953. "We respect Mount Everest as a mother and a goddess — both in Hindu & Buddhist cultures. An earthquake is a natural calamity but there's still a deep feeling of sadness," says Norgay, who rushed to Kathmandu from Darjeeling, where he lives, to search for many of his family members ...