Kala Patthar

Kala Patthar
Kala Patthar with Pumori in the background
Elevation	5,545 metres (18,192 ft) 5,643m? (controversial, see text)
Location	Khumbu, Nepal
Range	Khumbu Himal
Coordinates	27°59.750′N 86°49.705′E / 27.995833°N 86.828417°E / 27.995833; 86.828417
Easiest route	Hike / scramble from Gorakshep

Kala Patthar meaning 'black rock' in Sanskrit is a mountain in the Nepalese Himalaya. It appears as a big brown bump below the impressive south face of Pumori (7,161m / 23,494ft). Many trekkers in the region of Mount Everest will attempt to summit Kala Patthar, since it provides the most accessible point to view Mt. Everest from base camp to peak (due to the structure of Everest, the peak cannot be seen from the base camp). The views from almost anywhere on Kala Patthar of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse are spectacular.

The ascent of Kala Patthar begins at Gorakshep (5,164m), the original base camp for Mt. Everest. After a brief dip to an ancient lake bed (which now contains a small lake and a helipad), the ascent makes its way up a series of steep switchbacks before levelling off somewhat as it traverses to the eastern side of the mountain. The trail then becomes steep once again until it reaches the wind-swept summit ridge. From there, a five to ten minute scramble over boulders takes one to the top, which is marked with prayer flags. The full ascent usually takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. If the attempt is made starting from Lobuche, an additional two to three hours (one way) is required.

Although the elevation is commonly listed as 5,545-5,550m, Portland State University Assistant Professor Dr. Luis A. Ruedas took a Garmin eMap GPS unit to the summit on 6 December 2006. These units have the capability to average a series of individual satellite readings, making them more accurate than single reading machines. Averaging 48 readings at 0625h Nepal local time, temperature -20ºC, the GPS recorded the location of the summit as 27º59.750'N, 86º49.705'E (datum: WGS84), and elevation as 5,643m. Even accounting for the fact that the summit may have approximately one meter of stones added as a celebratory cairn, this is a significant discrepancy with previously recorded elevations. The same unit was consistent with respect to previously recorded elevations for Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp. In October 2008, a GPS with WAAS recorded the summit at 27º59.751'N, 86º49.705'E (datum: WGS84) with an elevation of 5644.5m, confirming the 2006 data.

It is possible that since Kala Patthar is merely a minor summit on a ridge leading to Pumo Ri, different people may have measured different summits. There is a minor summit along this ridge near 27º59.51'N, 86º49.62'E with an elevation of approximately 5,545m. The summit traditionally referred to as Kala Patthar is, however, completely festooned with prayer flags, making it quite readily recognizable. It is that summit that was recorded as 5,643m.^{[citation needed]}