Tenzing & Hillary kin tell summit tales on 70th anniversary

KOLKATA: Climbing down after their ascent of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary left their sleeping bags at South Col to signal to their teammates, waiting near the Khumbu Icefall, about their summit. But clouds shrouded the bags, leaving the anxious teammates clueless about the summiteers' whereabouts till the following afternoon.

Hillary's son Peter recounted the historical summit as he addressed a programme at Khunde in Nepal on Monday to commemorate the 70th year of the first recorded ascent of Mt Everest.

Peter, his son Alexander, Tenzing's son Jamling and Tenzing's granddaughter Pelzom, inaugurated a Sherpa Heritage Centre at Namche, Nepal.

"Hillary and Tenzing had summited Everest at 11.30am. They left their sleeping bags, sending a signal to the other members of the team that their summit had been successful," Peter said. "They did it so that the sherpas and the British climbers waiting downhill would know whether they were successful or not. But the sleeping bags were veiled behind clouds. None of the team members knew about the summiteers' whereabouts till the following afternoon when the two walked into Lhotse Face."

"It was not only reaching the summit of the highest peak, but it was also an empowerment and confidence that we can conquer the unattainable," Peter said.

The climbers' grandchildren vowed to work for the betterment of education and healthcare in Khumjung and Khunde areas to carry forward their grandparents' wishes.


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