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Hillary Step
Debasish biswas kolkata · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hillary Step

Formerly one of the final and most challenging parts in summiting Mt Everest

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The Hillary Step was a 40-foot (12 m) vertical rock face that sat 8,790 metres (28,839 ft) above sea level on the southeast ridge of Mount Everest. Some 30 metres (98 ft) vertically below the mountain's 8,849-metre (29,032 ft) summit, it lay halfway between the "South Summit" and topping out. It was the most technically difficult part of the typical Nepal-side Everest route, and the last real challenge before completing the final stage of the climb. The rock face was destroyed by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

Quick facts

Type
massif, former geographical object wd

About

Located in the death zone, the Hillary Step was a Class 4 pitch. One expedition noted that climbing the Hillary Step was "strenuous" and offered little to no escape from unpredictable, rapidly changing weather.

Heavy snowfall could enable climbers to bypass Hillary using snow and ice climbing techniques.

The Hillary Step has claimed several climbers' lives. In 1997, mountaineer Anatoli Boukreev – known for saving the lives of climbers during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster – found the body of Bruce Herrod hanging from ropes at the base of the step; Herrod had died during a climb two weeks after the 1996 disaster.

Nearby places

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (English): Hillary Step · CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Wikidata item Q15114831 · CC0 1.0
  3. Image: Hillary Step near Everest Topcropped1.png by Debasish biswas kolkata (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Last updated · facts checked 7 November 2026

Cite this page

"Hillary Step". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/places/hillary-step. Retrieved 7 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Hillary Step, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Hillary Step near Everest Topcropped1.png — Debasish biswas kolkata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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