page_title: Three Steps
hierarchical_section_title: Three Steps
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Nordwand des Mt. Everest, über zwei Vorgipfel hinweg aus dem Rongpu-Tal fotografert. Erklärung s. u. English: North face of Mt. Everest as seen from the route to base camp, ascent routes marked. Description see below. 中文: 從通往基地營的路看珠穆朗瑪峰的北面
context_page_description: The Three Steps are three prominent rocky steps on the northeast ridge of Mount Everest. They are located at altitudes of 8,564 metres, 8,610 metres, and 8,710 metres. The Second Step is especially significant both historically and in mountaineering terms. Any climber who wants to climb on the normal route from the north of the summit must negotiate these three stages.
  The First Step consists of large boulders that pose a serious obstacle, even for experienced climbers, because of their height above sea level. Many mountaineers have died near the First Step, among them "Green Boots", a corpse wearing neon green climbing boots and a red coat, which serves as a somber landmark for climbers to gauge their distance to the top, and which has now been possibly identified as Tsewang Paljor. His fellow climbers, who also perished on the same day as he in 1996, are Tsewang Smanla and Dorje Morup. Other climbers have died under that rock as well, namely David Sharp and Francys Arsentiev.
  The Second Step is the best known of the rocky steps. The steep section, at an altitude of 8,610 m, has a climbing height of 40 metres, of which the last five are almost vertical.
context_section_description: The Three Steps are three prominent rocky steps on the northeast ridge of Mount Everest. They are located at altitudes of 8,564 metres (28,097 ft), 8,610 metres (28,250 ft), and 8,710 metres (28,580 ft). The Second Step is especially significant both historically and in mountaineering terms. Any climber who wants to climb on the normal route from the north of the summit must negotiate these three stages.
  The First Step consists of large boulders that pose a serious obstacle, even for experienced climbers, because of their height above sea level. Many mountaineers have died near the First Step, among them "Green Boots", a corpse wearing neon green climbing boots and a red coat, which serves as a somber landmark for climbers to gauge their distance to the top, and which has now been possibly identified as Tsewang Paljor. His fellow climbers, who also perished on the same day as he in 1996, are Tsewang Smanla and Dorje Morup. Other climbers have died under that rock as well, namely David Sharp and Francys Arsentiev.
  The Second Step is the best known of the rocky steps. The steep section, at an altitude of 8,610 m, has a climbing height of 40 metres, of which the last five are almost vertical. The step was climbed for the first time in 1960, by Wang Fuzhou, Gongbu and Qu Yinhua, while their teammate Liu Lianman volunteered to be a human ladder. The climbing difficulty of this spot was reduced in 1975 when a Chinese team affixed an aluminium ladder to the step that has been used since then by almost all climbers. In 2007, out of safety considerations, the original 15 feet (4.6 m) ladder was replaced with a new one by Chinese and international mountaineers. The original ladder is now on display at the Mount Qomolangma Museum in Tibet.
  The Third Step is easiest to climb. Its climbing height is about 10 metres, after which the summit snowfield is reached.
caption: North Face of Mt. Everest. "1st", "2nd", and "3rd" indicate the Three Steps.
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