The First Summit of Everest: Tenzing Norgay ▎ The Sherpa's Petite Hero (II)

May 28, 2025

Tenzing Norgay,
1953, ©gettyimages

Whenever someone does something that has never been done before,
it sends a signal to others that you can do it too.

The 1953 summit undoubtedly set a precedent, inspiring many to follow: in just the first ten days of this year's climbing season, over 500 people reached the 8,849-meter peak of Everest.

Advances in technology, logistics, and communication have made this possible. Yet, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary achieved this feat without modern equipment like GPS or satellite phones.

Mountaineers queuing on Everest's ridge,
2023, ©BBC

The opportunity has come.

In 1935, the 20-year-old Tenzing was fortunate to join Eric Shipton's Everest expedition.

His opportunity had come! When two other candidates failed their medical exams, Tenzing—thanks to his friendship with Ang Tharkay, a Sherpa officer who had participated in the 1933 British Everest expedition—was quickly brought into the team. Legend has it that his captivating smile caught Shipton's eye, securing him this invaluable chance.

Eric Shipton,
Leading British mountaineer, 1939, ©UKC

During this climb, his performance was so outstanding that he was hired as a guide for the official British Everest expeditions in both 1936 and 1938. Through these expeditions, he mastered the skills expected of a Sherpa guide, including cooking Western meals. His culinary talents earned unanimous praise from the climbing teams.

He also participated in other mountaineering activities across different regions of India. In the early 1940s, Tenzing lived in Chitral (which became part of Pakistan after the Partition). During this time, his first wife passed away and was buried in Chitral. Amid the 1947 Partition of India, he made a legendary journey back to Darjeeling—wearing an old military uniform given to him, traveling across India by train without a ticket, with his two daughters in tow.

Tenzing Norgay and his iconic smile,
1953, ©gettyimages

In 1947, he was persuaded to join Earl Denman's Swiss expedition, which illegally entered Tibet. However, at 22,000 feet, the team encountered a fierce storm, forcing them to abandon the climb. During this time, Tenzing was recognized as an official expedition member.

As he put it, "This was the greatest honor I had received." He also participated in expeditions across India, Pakistan, and other countries. In 1948, he accompanied the Tibetologist Giuseppe Tucci on an archaeological survey in Tibet. Known for his eccentric and temperamental nature, Tucci was notoriously difficult to work with—yet Tenzing was said to be one of the few who could get along with him.

Giuseppe Tucci during a field expedition,
1933, ©everettpotter.com

After World War II, Nepal reopened its borders to foreigners, ending Britain's monopoly on Everest expeditions. Kathmandu became the usual starting point for climbers, but Darjeeling remained the recruitment hub for Sherpas. Their operations were managed by an organization called the Himalayan Club, which provided expedition advice and services while maintaining detailed records of over 100 Sherpas—including their backgrounds, work histories, and specialties. Tenzing was a member of the club.

By this time, he had conquered numerous other peaks and weathered both successes and failures. Though some claimed he was living in poverty then, one thing was clear long before his Everest triumph—he stood out as exceptional among the new generation of Sherpa climbing leaders.

In 1951 and 1952, he served as sirdar (head Sherpa) for Eric Shipton's Everest expeditions.

Sherpa guide team, 1935,
©gettyimages

British Everest Expedition

Stunned by the success of the Swiss expedition, the British realized 1953 was their critical window to conquer Everest. They meticulously planned and assembled a large-scale expedition. Luck played a key role—Tenzing and Hillary were both invited to join.

The following year, Tenzing Norgay participated as the sirdar (chief Sherpa) of the British Ninth Everest Expedition—marking his seventh attempt to summit. He later told reporters: "I had climbed six times. The seventh time, I told myself I could not fail."

Hillary conversing with Sherpa guides,
1953, ©gettyimages

Reportedly, Tenzing's friends pressured the expedition team, arguing he deserved recognition not just as a guide but as a full-fledged climbing member.

To the British, this was a radical idea—yet the Swiss had already set the precedent. They had treated Tenzing as their equal, pairing him with Alpine guide Raymond Lambert for their near-summit attempt.

The two at base camp,
1953, ©gettyimages

In 1975, when recalling his first meeting with Tenzing in Kathmandu, Hillary wrote:

"I was eager to meet Tenzing Norgay... Tenzing certainly looked the part—taller than most Sherpas, powerfully built and energetic, with an irresistible radiant smile. He showed endless patience with all our questions and demands. His past successes had given him immense physical confidence... One message came through very clearly—Tenzing possessed far greater personal ambition than any Sherpa I’d ever met."

By January 1953, the expedition had established camp at the 26,000-foot South Col. At a dinner there, Tenzing vowed to *"climb Everest or die."* Unlike most Sherpas of his time—for whom mountaineering was primarily a demanding livelihood—he once declared: *"Because in my heart, Everest pulled at me more strongly than any force on Earth."*

Tenzing and teammates at Camp III on the South Col,
1953, ©gettyimages

Until World War II, much of Asia remained under the shadow of Western colonialism. By achieving a goal the entire world shared, Tenzing became a focal point for newfound pride and a reimagined future. Symbolically, standing atop Everest, he loomed larger than life—the first ordinary Asian to claim global acclaim. To millions, his triumph was more than a mountain conquered; it was a promise of brighter possibilities, for themselves and their world.

Tenzing was celebrated for his infectious enthusiasm, but he was equally renowned for his leadership and Asian-style humility. Ralph Izzard, a Daily Mail journalist who briefly followed the expedition, noted that Tenzing gave "concise orders in a tone demanding instant obedience" and possessed "all the authority of a regimental commander."

"His courage and determination were tremendously strong," Hunt observed, "and physically, he was superb." Before leaving home to join the expedition, Tenzing had asked his friend Rabindranath Mitra to care for his family in the event of his death.

By 1953, he had likely spent more time on Everest than any other person—and had come closer to its summit.

Young Tenzing Norgay,
1953, ©gettyimages

Conquering the Roof of the World

At that time, the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas remained largely unexplored, and no one knew whether it was even possible for climbers to reach the summit. The expedition team included mountaineers, a physiologist, a filmmaker, and a journalist. Between April and May 1953, the group established a series of camps on the mountain, advancing toward the summit in stages.

They pioneered a new route—traversing the treacherous and unstable Khumbu Glacier, ascending the Western Cwm, and skirting the southern flank of Lhotse to reach the South Col at approximately 26,000 feet.

Setting up Camp III in the Western Cwm,
1953, ©gettyimages

On May 26, two teammates attempted the summit but were forced to retreat near the South Col—just 300 vertical feet from the top—due to failing oxygen equipment.

The final, historic push fell to Tenzing and Hillary.

The night was long, but with insufficient oxygen for uninterrupted sleep, they took shifts: 9–11 PM and 1–3 AM. Between 11 PM and 1 AM, they kept each other awake, sipping hot lemonade to maintain warmth and hydration. After 3 AM, as oxygen dwindled, they ate again, storing energy for the climb ahead.

In the early hours of the next morning, Hillary and Tenzing spent considerable time warming up and preparing their gear. Hillary discovered his boots had frozen solid outside the tent and spent two hours thawing them over the small stove’s flame. The pair also melted ice for drinking water—dehydration being a critical risk during the climb. In the distant darkness, the faint flickering lights of Tengboche Monastery still glimmered, where monks were praying for their safety.

At 6:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953, they layered up: wool vests, down jackets and trousers, three pairs of gloves, and insulated boots. They crawled out of the tent, donned goggles and oxygen sets, and stepped into the biting cold. Laboring through crusted snow, they trudged toward the ridge above, where dawn’s light now touched the heights.

Tenzing later wrote: "About a hundred feet below the summit, we reached the highest rock ledge. It was nearly wide enough to pitch two tents—I wondered if anyone would ever camp so close to the top of the world. I picked up two small stones and put them in my pocket to carry back down."

At the ridge’s crest, wind-scoured snow draped over the summit, sometimes sharp as a blade. They moved slowly, reaching the South Summit by 9 a.m. The steep slope’s powdery snow was too fine for their ice axes to grip. If either slipped, neither could arrest the fall—and the slope threatened to avalanche.

Mountaineer Eric Shipton recalled in The Mountaineering Art:
Hillary later admitted he was "shaking with fear." He asked Tenzing for his assessment.

"Very bad—very dangerous!" Tenzing replied.
"Do you think we should go?"
"As you wish," said Tenzing.

Later, he said: "It was one of the most dangerous places I’d ever been on the mountain."

Undeterred, they pressed on—only to confront a 40-foot rock face. With conditions perilous, Hillary led the way, scaling a crack in the cliff. At 11:30 a.m., they stood atop Everest’s 29,028-foot summit: the pinnacle of the Earth.