![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Hillary_Step_near_Everest_Topcropped1.png/640px-Hillary_Step_near_Everest_Topcropped1.png&w=640&q=50)
Hillary Step
Formerly one of the final and most challenging parts in summiting Mt Everest / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Hillary Step was a nearly vertical rock face with a height of around 12 metres (40 ft) located near the summit of Mount Everest, about 8,790 metres (28,839 ft) above sea level.[1] Located on the southeast ridge, halfway between the "South Summit" and the true summit, the Hillary Step was the most technically difficult part of the typical Nepal-side Everest climb[2] and the last real challenge before reaching the top of the mountain.[3] The rock face was destroyed by an earthquake that struck the region in 2015.[4]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Hillary_Step_near_Everest_Topcropped1.png/640px-Hillary_Step_near_Everest_Topcropped1.png)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Hillary_Step_near_Everest_top.jpg/640px-Hillary_Step_near_Everest_top.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Mount_Everest_a_close_view_with_south_summit_and_yellow_band.jpg/640px-Mount_Everest_a_close_view_with_south_summit_and_yellow_band.jpg)
Climbing the Hillary Step had the danger of a 3,000-metre (10,000 ft) drop on the right (when going up) and an 2,400-metre (8,000 ft) drop on the left.[5][6] An unaided climb was rated as a Class 4 rock climb—but in the death zone.[7] One expedition noted that climbing the Hillary Step was "strenuous" but did offer some protection from the elements.[8]
In some climbing seasons after heavy snowfall, the rock face could be bypassed with snow/ice climbing.[9]
Anatoli Boukreev found a body hanging from ropes at the base of the step in 1996, according to his book The Climb.[10]