The greatest way to characterize Mount Everest is as the world's highest mountain. Put another way, at more than 29,000 feet (or 8,850 meters) above sea level, it has the highest elevation. However, several mountains have asserted their superiority when measured from locations other than sea level. For instance, Chimborazo in Ecuador is said to be the highest peak measured from Earth's center. It is not as high as Everest, at over 20,000 feet (6,000 meters). Chimborazo, however, is situated close to the Equator, where the Earth bulges, placing it roughly 2,070 meters (6,800 feet) higher above the planet's core than Everest. Chimborazo is located around 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) above Earth's core overall.

Many climbers, including very experienced mountaineers, are drawn to Mount Everest. The "standard route" approaches the summit from the southeast in Nepal, while the other approaches it from the north in Tibet. These are the two main routes for climbing. Everest doesn't provide many significant technical climbing obstacles while traveling the usual route, but there are risks from wind, weather, and altitude sickness in addition to avalanches and the Khumbu Icefall. There have been 340 deaths on Mount Everest as of May 2024. Because of the hazardous circumstances, more than 200 bodies are still on the mountain and have not been evacuated.

Since the geoid, which roughly corresponds to sea level, is used to determine Mount Everest's whole elevation, climbers usually only ascend a portion of the peak. Nearly 700 km (430 mi) distant is the Bay of Bengal, the nearest sea to the peak of Mount Everest. Therefore, starting from this shoreline would be necessary to simulate a climb of Mount Everest's whole height—a feat achieved in 1990 by Tim Macartney-Snape's crew. Typically, climbers start their ascent above 5,000 meters (16,404 feet) from base camps.
Ever since it was officially included in the Great Trigonometrical Survey in 1856, Mount Everest—the mother of all mountains and the highest point on Earth—has drawn Western interest. Mount Everest is actually known by various names. It is a part of the renowned Himalaya mountain range and is located on the border between Tibet and Nepal. Yes, it is most generally known by its billboarded moniker, which was chosen to honor Sir George Everest, the British surveyor. However, it is referred to as Chomolungma by the Tibetans, which means "Mother Goddess of the World," and Sagarmatha by the Nepalese, which expresses a similar idea.