Learn About the First Men to Climb Mount
Everest
After years of dreaming about it
and seven weeks of climbing, New
Zealander Edmund Hillary and
Nepalese Tenzing Norgay reached
the top of Mount Everest, the
highest mountain in the world, at
11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953. They
were the first people to ever
reach the summit of Mount
Everest.
Earlier Attempts to Climb Mt.
Everest
Mount Everest had long been
considered unclimbable by some
and the ultimate climbing
challenge by others. Soaring in height to 29,035 feet (8,850 m), the famous mountain is located in the
Himalayas, along the border of Nepal and Tibet, China. Before Hillary and Tenzing successfully reached the
summit, two other expeditions got close. Most famous of these was the 1924 climb of George Leigh
Mallory and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine. They climbed Mount Everest at a time when the aid of compressed air
was still new and controversial. The pair of climbers was last seen still going strong at the Second Step
(about 28,140 - 28,300 ft). Many people still wonder if Mallory and Irvine might have been the first to make
it to the top of Mount Everest. However, since the two men did not make it back down the mountain alive,
perhaps we'll never know for sure.
The Dangers of Climbing the Highest Mountain in the World
Mallory and Irvine certainly were not the
last to die upon the mountain. Climbing
Mount Everest is extremely dangerous.
Besides the freezing weather (which puts
climbers at risk for extreme frostbite) and
the obvious potential for long falls from
cliffs and into deep crevasses, climbers of
Mount Everest suffer from the effects of
the extreme high altitude, often called
"mountain sickness."
The high altitude prevents the human body
from getting enough oxygen to the brain,
causing hypoxia. Any climber who climbs
above 8,000 feet could get mountain
sickness and the higher they climb, the
more severe the symptoms may become.
Most climbers of Mount Everest at least suffer from headaches, cloudiness of thought, lack of sleep, loss of
appetite, and fatigue. And some, if not acclimated correctly, could show the more acute signs of altitude
sickness, which includes dementia, trouble walking, lack of physical coordination, delusions, and coma.
To prevent the acute symptoms of altitude sickness, climbers of Mount Everest spend a lot of their time
slowly acclimating their bodies to the increasingly high altitudes. This is why it can take climbers many
weeks to climb Mt. Everest.
Food and Supplies
In addition to humans, not many creatures or plants can live in high altitudes either. For this reason, food
sources for climbers of Mt. Everest are relatively nonexistent. So, in preparation for their climb, climbers
and their teams must plan, purchase, and then carry all of their food and supplies with them up the
mountain. Most teams hire Sherpas to help carry their supplies up the mountain. (The Sherpaare a
previously nomadic people who live near Mt. Everest and who have the unusual ability of being able to
quickly physically adapt to higher altitudes.)
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Go Up the Mountain
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were part of the British Everest Expedition, 1953, led by Colonel John
Hunt. Hunt had selected a team of people who were experienced climbers from all around the British
Empire. Among the eleven chosen climbers, Edmund Hillary was selected as a climber from New
Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, though born a Sherpa, was recruited from his home in India. Also along for
the trip was a filmmaker to document their progress and a writer for The Times, both were there in the
hopes of documenting a successful climb to the summit. Very importantly, a physiologist rounded out the
team. After months of planning and organizing, the expedition began to climb. On their way up, the team
established nine camps, some of which are still used by climbers today. Out of all the climbers on the
expedition, only four would get a chance to make an attempt to reach the summit. Hunt, the team leader,
selected two teams of climbers. The first team consisted of Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans and the
second team consisted of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The first team left on May 26, 1953 to reach
the summit of Mt. Everest. Although the two men made it up to about 300 feet shy of the summit, the
highest any human had yet reached, they were forced to turn back after bad weather set in as well as a fall
and problems with their oxygen tanks.
Reaching the Top of Mount Everest
At 4 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and
Tenzing Norgay awoke in camp nine and readied
themselves for their climb. Hillary discovered
that his boots had frozen and thus spent two
hours defrosting them. The two men left camp at
6:30 a.m. During their climb, they came upon
one particularly difficult rock face, but Hillary
found a way to climb it. (The rock face is now
called "Hillary's Step.)
At 11:30 a.m., Hillary and Tenzing reached the
summit of Mount Everest. Hillary reached out to
shake Tenzing's hand, but Tenzing gave him a
hug in return. The two men enjoyed only 15
minutes at the top of the world because of their
low air supply. They spent their time taking
photographs, taking in the view, placing a food
offering (Tenzing), and looking for any sign that
the missing climbers from 1924 had been there
before them (they didn't find any).
When their 15 minutes were up, Hillary and
Tenzing began making their way back down the
mountain. It is reported that when Hillary saw
his friend and co-New Zealand climber George
Lowe (also part of the expedition), Hillary said,
"Well, George, we've knocked the bastard off!"
News of the successful climb quickly made it around the world. Both Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
became heroes.
Sir Edmund Hillary, in full Edmund Percival
Hillary, (born July 20, 1919, Auckland, New
Zealand—died January 11, 2008, Auckland), New
Zealand mountain climber and Antarctic explorer
who, with the Tibetan mountaineer Tenzing Norgay,
was the first to reach the summit of Mount
Everest (29,035 feet [8,850 metres]), the highest
mountain in the world. Hillary’s father was a
beekeeper, an occupation he also pursued. He began
climbing in New Zealand’s Southern Alps while in high
school. After military service in World War II, he
resumed climbing and became determined to scale
Everest. In 1951 he joined a New Zealand party to the
central Himalayasand later that year participated in a British reconnaissance expedition of the southern
flank of Everest. He was subsequently invited to join the team of mountaineers planning to climb the peak.
The well-organized expedition was launched in the spring of 1953, and a high camp from which to mount
attempts at the summit was established by mid-May. After a pair of climbers failed to reach the top on
May 27, Hillary and Tenzing set out for it early on May 29; by late morning they were standing on the
summit. The two shook hands, then Tenzing embraced his partner. Hillary took photographs, and both
searched for signs that George Mallory, a British climber lost on Everest in 1924, had been on the summit.
Hillary left behind a crucifix, and Tenzing, a Buddhist, made a food offering. After spending about 15
minutes on the peak, they began their descent. They met back at camp by their colleague W.G. Lowe
