For weeks we have been stewing over British Imperialism and national pride, when it came to ascension of Mount Everest. The British felt that it would be a national accomplishment to make it to the top of this great mountain. However, mountains being strongly tied with cultural identity was not solely found within the British Empire, but also within the United States. Within the great state of Alaska, the United States also wanted to reap the national benefits of conquering the great peak. These were two imperial powers, British Empire and the United States, with two very distinctly different ways of climbing feats. The British did not govern the land that their iconic mountain laid in, while the United States did. The control of the territory where the Denali was led to degradation of the native people in Alaska. While in Nepal and Tibet, there was little cultural changes presumably because there was no overarching British governmental control, and thus, no imperial attitude towards the people native to the land.

The expedition that the United States faced, Mount Mckinley or Denali, was during a time where the idea of masculinity was the promiscuity of being a man.  Furthermore, these expeditions were meant to encompass masculine culture that was seen to be in danger of being lost. Paired with the culture that evolved in the expansion into the American West, sparked the spread of the idea that white Americans could accomplish anything put to task, including reaching the summit of the highest mountain on the continent. However, Mount Mckinley did not only challenge the root of the American people, it also sprung curiosity into the elitist classes of the United States. These elitist individuals led the charge for bringing the culture of the modern west to Alaska. Funded only by the simple beauty of the Alaskan wilderness, the settlers hunted the game they had come across by using the natives for their knowledge of the area. Through many false conclusions perpetuated upon these tribes, they were seen as savages that hunted for their food and wore only fur. Only part of that being true and all would soon change. The conquest of Alaska changed the action of the native people from wearing fur to wearing cotton which they received from the white settlers passing through their land. All of this made Denali part of the American identity, while destroying the native culture. This is best shown through the changing of the mountain’s name from the name given by the indians, Denali, to the name of a fallen US president, Mount Mckinley.

In contrary to the American perseverance of Mckinley, the British had ambitious concerns about a much taller mountain, that mountain being Everest. The British had been the ones who determined the height of Everest and re-named it. Initially, their exploration was fueled to fill in the blank spots on the map. Later the motive for their exploration became the pure desire to climb Everest. After several failures, it started to become part of national pride. A failure to climb the mountain would be a failure in the country as a whole. Not only because it was a great and incredible feat when attempted, but it denied a great empire for many years and was the only thing that could do such a thing. When it was finally summited, it restored the faith in the empire, and reminded the people of its former glory. It became part of their history and they would not destroy a culture to do conquer it.