The South Col is typically swept by high winds, leaving it free of significant snow accumulation.

[1] The following year, when Mount Everest was first climbed, Wilfrid Noyce and the Sherpa Annullu were the first climbers on the expedition to reach the col.

According to John Hunt, the expedition leader: It was 2.40 p.m. Wilfrid Noyce and his companion Annullu stood at that moment above the South Col of Everest, at about 26,000 feet [7,900 m].

Their presence there was symbolic of our success in overcoming the most crucial problem of the whole climb; they had reached an objective which we had been striving to attain for twelve anxious days.

[2]Once on the South Col, climbers have entered the death zone; altitude sickness is a significant threat at this elevation and can easily prove fatal.