This year, Discovery Channel crew members are back on Mount Everest, filming Everest Beyond the Limits. And although it takes talent, training, courage and will to make it to the top, we here at Discovery Tech know that it also takes a fair amount of gear and gadgets to get the job done right and safely. So with this week's Wide Angle, we're exploring the Tech Face of Everest.
- Slideshow: Extreme Tools Used to Fix Hubble
No place is more extreme than space. And for that environment, engineers must build tools that hold up to high and low temperatures, work without gravity, in a vacuum and even function underwater, where spacewalk training often occurs. Check out what some of these extreme tools look and the purpose they serve.
- My Take: Active Amputees Need Better Prosthetics
Mark Inglis is the only double amputee to have summited Mount Everest. He thinks that if more amputees are going to lead an active lifestyle, they will need more innovative prosthetic limbs.
- Blog: The Clean Mountain Can
A particularly eco-minded team--the Eco Everest Expedition 2009--is entering its second year on Everest. Their Clean Mountain Cans and Restop Bags, which solidify liquid and make it easier to transport, could improve the "leave no trace" philosophy apparently absent on Everest.
- Blog: Trash on Everest
Should climbers be fined for littering on Everest? Take the poll.
- Slideshow: Mountain Rescue Technologies
High-altitude mountain climbing is no walk in the park. Even the most experienced adventure junkie can get stranded in an avalanche, break a bone, or suffer from altitude sickness and have to call for help. The rescue team that answers that call goes through vigorous training specifically tailored to saving people off mountain tops, and uses multiple technologies to find and help victims -- some as advanced as helicopters, others as simple as a good rope.
- Blog: Live From Everest
Discovery Channel crews are back on Everest. Get the latest as it unfolds from Ed Wardle and Keith Cowing as they make their way to the roof of the world.
- Puzzle: Climbing Everest
Tackle these mountain puzzles without any special training.
- HowStuffWorks: Gear and Supplies for Climbing Mt. Everest
Mount Everest climbers need a lot of specialized gear, including clothing, tools and supplies. This list is by no means comprehensive, but can give you an idea of the amount of equipment required.
- HowStuffWorks: 5 Amazing Rescues
On May 26, 2006, climber Lincoln Hall was left for dead by his guides on the side of Mount Everest. The next day, his crew released a statement announcing his death. Little did they know that Hall was very much alive, but in dire circumstances. Read more about this rescue and four other amazing tales of survival.
- HowStuffWorks: Top 10 Survival Tools
There are many different situations that could lead to a survival scenario, and any of them could happen to you. It's not always the extreme skier that's gone off course or the trail runner that's been injured in the middle of the wilderness.
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