It is like a good place to turn around. The top is snow. Three ridges come together, each of them mellowing just a bit from their wild contours down lower so that where they meet is not terribly pointy. Still, there is not the slightest question, when there, that it is the summit of Mount Everest. The highest snow would probably be a lousy place to stand as it tends to be a small cornice over a big face (Kangshung Face, steep and vast and mostly far from home).

There is a bunch of "stuff" up there these days that people felt the mountain-top couldn't live without. A ceremonial O2 bottle or two, some prayer flags, a scientific set of reflectors that looks like the most out-of-place traffic light on the planet, and undoubtedly a large number of hidden and buried trinkets and mementos. "Summit rocks" don't really come from the summit, but from some loose outcroppings a few minutes walk down from the top. Spending months on the side of a big mountain like Everest means that 180 degrees of horizon have been the limit for a while. One is usually primed for a view of the other side. The top delivers nicely in this respect... unless you get there in a cloud, if this is the case, just carve your initials in one of the trees as proof of your ascent, and get down.

—Dave Hahn, Climber

EVEREST FAQ