blandestk

So are we talking like a 10x10 meter area, something that small? How many people can fit comfortably up there at once?

If I have some tree, rock, and non-ice mountain climbing experience - and I emphasize SOME - how many years should I honestly put aside to climbing Everest if I really wanted to? If a completely inexperienced person told you they wanted to summit, how long would you advise they work toward the goal?

From summit photos I see, it always seems as if the summit area is extremely small. I get acrophobia just looking at the images, as if the people might be in danger of falling off the top of the world. And when we think of peaks, we tend to think of small juts out of the top of extremely steep crags that one might have to hold onto to keep from falling. However, in my mountain climbing experience, the peak is seldom that small and instead is simply the highest point of a relatively open spot. What is it like on Everest?