Man shows the reality of spending night in ‘death zone’ on Mount Everest

Every year, hundreds of people attempt to climb Mount Everest but to reach the summit at 29,029 feet (8,848 metres) above sea level, they must first brave what is known as the 'death zone'.

This is the area with an altitude above 8,000 meters where low oxygen levels and high barometric pressure combine to make it incredibly difficult to breathe.

There is so little oxygen that the body slowly starts to die.

In the death zone, you're also at a much higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke and your judgement quickly becomes impaired.

Pixabay

"Your body is breaking down and essentially dying," Shaunna Burke, a climber who summited Everest in 2005, told Insider. "It becomes a race against the clock."

Others have described being in the death zone as feeling like 'running on a treadmill and breathing through a straw'.

Now, one climber has shown the reality of spending a night in Everest's ‘death zone’ and it really doesn't seem worth it.

A TikTok video posted by Andrew Hughes shows him and his climbing partner wearing oxygen masks as their tent is rattled by strong winds.

It's accompanied by the caption: "No sleep tonight. Got to endure the chaos till dawn. Night in the death zone!"

One viewer commented on the video: "Sounds like a freight train."

Hughes jokingly responded: "Felt like one coming by my tent all night too haha."

But the dangers of the death zone are all too real.

TikTok/@andrew_i_hughes

More than 300 people have died trying to reach the summit of Mount Everest, most of their bodies still scattered across the mountain due to the high costs and danger of attempting to retrieve them.

Earlier this year, the documentary Finding Michael was released on Disney+ and followed Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews as he attempted to find his brother Michael's body on Mountain Everest.

Michael Matthews was just 23 when he reached the summit of the mountain in 1999, becoming the youngest British person to ever do so.

Tragically, Michael died during his descent and his body was never recovered.

Speaking about the documentary, Spencer said: "It was important for me to get my head around the fact I might come face to face with my brother’s frozen body.

"I knew it was going to be a gut-wrenching and emotional journey."

Topics: TikTok, Environment, Travel

Bec Oakes