It was the year 1953, in the month of May. Two men stared at the perilous journey ahead that few men dared to travel. They were willing to rest the fate of their lives in the frozen hands of Mother Earth. Would you have the nerves of steel that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had as they faced the spine-chilling Mount Everest?
These two men, however, were not the first to attempt the climb. The first attempt to summit Mount Everest was in 1921 by George Leigh Mallory and his team of climbers.1 They had not been able to complete their ascent due to an unforgiving storm. With the determination to reach the summit, where no man had ever stood before, Mallory made a second attempt a year later in 1922. This time, Mallory and his team were able to trek more than 27,000 feet up the behemoth of a mountain! On this climb, several of the Sherpa, people who live on the borders of Nepal and Tibet that are well known for their astounding capabilities in mountaineering, on his team were killed by an avalanche. This was still not enough to satisfy Mallory’s thirst for adventure! Third times the charm, right? Maybe? No? Mallory made his third and final attempt to conquer one of the seven natural wonders of the world in 1924. Except, this time he and his partner, Andrew Irvine, threw all caution out the window and set their minds to reach the top no matter what troubles they faced. To this day, no one knows if they reached the top. After they departed on their trek… they were never seen again.2
Now let’s shift the focus to New Zealand… Auckland, New Zealand to be exact. This is where the soon famous Edmund Hillary resided, passing through life as a beekeeper by day and a mountain climber by night. By the time he attempted the climb of Mount Everest in 1953, he was at the age of thirty-four years, and luckily he had the assistance and camaraderie of a skilled Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, who was thirty-nine years old.3 Thanks to the thirty years that had passed since Mallory’s attempt, Hillary and Norgay had more advanced climbing equipment than Mallory had, such as more advanced oxygen equipment, a form of portable communication through radio, and clothing that would better suit the environment.4 Although this equipment was not the only things they had that Mallory didn’t. The two had something that is the difference between life and death… a greater sense of caution.
The two departed to accomplish their goal on the 28th of May and managed to climb an astonishing 27,900 feet. Now you’re probably thinking, “Oh, 27,900 feet? Yeah, that’s a little challenging, but I could probably do that.” Sorry to break it to you, but these were no ordinary 27,900 feet. Along the way, Hillary and Norgay faced blinding blizzards, the risk of avalanches, or the risk of falling into an icy abyss, as well as running out of oxygen.5 Another risk that is faced when mountain climbing is altitude sickness. This is what happens when one ascends or descends in altitude too quickly without allowing one’s body to adjust to the different pressures and altitude. It can be life threatening if it is not treated or prevented.
After a long, freezing, and brutal night, the two were able to reach the top of the world at 11:30 a.m on May 29, 1953. This also happened to be the birthday of Tenzing Norgay! Prior to reaching the summit, Hillary climbed his way up a forty-foot rocky ledge and pulled Norgay up by rope. This ledge came to be known as the Hillary Step.
Word spread that the two accomplished the unimaginable! News of this accomplishment even got to Queen Elizabeth II just two days later on June 1.6 In commemoration of this accomplishment, Hillary was knighted by the Queen, but since Norgay was not a citizen of London he received a British Empire Medal. This concludes the immense journey that was traveled by our two unwavering men.
- C. G. Bruce, “Mount Everest,” The Geographical Journal 57, no. 1 (January 1921): 5-7. ↵
- Vanessa Bush, “The Wildest Dream: The Biography of George Mallory,” Booklist, Literature Resource Center (Aug. 2000): 2097. ↵
- Peter H. Hansen, “Tenzing’s Two Wrist-Watches: The Conquest of Everest and Late Imperial Culture in Britain 1921-1953,” Past & Present, no. 157 (1997): 168-171. ↵
- L. G. C. E. Pugh, “Scientific Aspects of the Expedition to Mount Everest, 1953,” The Geographical Journal 120, no. 2 (June 1954): 184. ↵
- Walther Kirchner, “Mind, Mountain, and History Revisited,” Journal of the History of Ideas 55, no. 2 (1994): 303-5. ↵
- “The Society’s News,” The Geographical Journal 120, no. 2 (June 1954): 246-248. ↵
44 comments
Nathalie Herrera
Reaching the top of Mount Everest must have been breathtaking and the best birthday wish for Tenzing Norgay seeing he reaching the “top of the world” on his birthday. I can’t imagine the dedication and strength it took for both Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary to climb to the top of Mount Everest. A truly inspirational story that with hard work and dedication anything can be reached. Great read!
Daniela Duran
I really found this article very interesting and also engaging. The style of sitting made it reading-friendly and enjoyable. I agree when the author when he writes that 27,900 feet do not seem as much, much I would like to see myself try! I have watched movies about climbs to Mount Everest, and, to be honest, I always end up frightened by how many challenges they must face. Now, in the movies I’ve watched, the climbers had professional equipment, and even a clear route to follow…. but this was clearly not the case of these two young men! It is admirable that they made their way to the top, defeating all kinds of battles such as the avalanches, or even the simple cold! I had already heard about the altitude sickness that the author mentioned, and I even heard that it can lead to hallucinations of some kind! Imagine how much challenges like these they must have faced in order to make it to the top!
Lynsey Mott
Just climbing up Enchanted Rock for a class was hard enough, I can’t imagine climbing up Mt. Everest, with all the snow, and because of the altitude, I would have an asthma attack in seconds. So for Norgay and Hillary going through the obstacles and making it the top with a smile on their face, is so satisfying and to hear. I know I wouldn’t be able to climb anything that high, but they inspire me to try for a higher mountain than Enchanted Rock.
Noah Bolhuis
I have a good friend that is a passionate climber and reaching the summit of Mount Everest is his life goal. I knew it was hard, and have read elsewhere that they use dead bodies as trail markers and guides. It is not a journey for the weak or faint of heart. It is amazing how two men were able to accomplish this summit at the time they did. There wasn’t the modern technology, such as oxygen masks, thermal clothing etc. They also learned from other’s mistakes, not going in with an all or nothing approach. Just goes to show that technological advancements and previous knowledge is greatly important to accomplish any goal over time.
Marina Castro
I have read about how hard it is to climb Mount Everest. Dying is very easy because of how harsh the weather conditions are. It amazes me that someone is able to climb all the way to the top of the highest mountain on Earth. The obstacles these men had to go through are beyond what a normal person would be able to go through.
Taylor Rech
Reading this article reminded me of a book I read in high school, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, that entails Krakauer’s struggle filled adventure while climbing up Mount Everest in 1997. I think that mountain climbing is something that is very impressive because of the challenging conditions that climbers must endure; freezing temperatures, deadly heights, and rough terrain are just some of the obstacles that stand in these brave individuals paths to the top of the world.
Sofia Andrade
Hearing many times before about the great Mount Everest it was fascinating to read about this great accomplishment of climbing to the top of the mountain. I like how the article gives the back story to this great accomplishment. Having insight of the failed attempts before being able to climb to the top goes to show that many great things take some failures but with determination they can be accomplished.
Roman Olivera
This climb was no small task back then and is still a formidable task today, even with all the innovations in climbing equipment. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, being the first two to successfully scale Mount Everest, was not only the first successful climb recorded because they had luckily been able to survive the climb, it was the first to document the treks up and down the mountain. What most people don’t realize is that there can be even more dangers descending from the climb that can be life threatening then actually ascending up the mountain. These men were the inspiration and guiding knowledge on how to make the climb for years having been the ones to survive the climb.
Kristy Feather
I loved how this article gave background information on the three other attempts made by Mallory. It really helped to provide a sense of background information as to how hard the trek would be. Even with a change in technology that provided a slightly safer climbing experience, Mount Everest is still a force to be reckoned with. If the elevation isn’t enough, the weather is sure to kill anyone not prepared for the worse. Knowing that two men were able to conquer the deadly rock is absolutely fascinating.
Christopher Vasquez
Climbing Mount Everest is no easy feat, even for those that have trained months or even years for the event. I feel bad for George Leigh Mallroy and Andrew Irvine because they were so determined to climb Mount Everest that they were unable to see the immediate danger in disregarding all caution; unfortunately, to this day, they have yet to be found. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, being the first two to successfully scale Mount Everest, were not only bold and ambitious but also lucky; becoming celebrities due to being knighted and given a medal by Queen Elizabeth II is something to write home about! Any individual that dares to climb any mountain is brave beyond conception.