Tenzing Norgay

Tenzing Norgay (born May 15, 1914?, Khumbu region, Nepal?—died May 9, 1986, Darjeeling [now Darjiling], West Bengal, India) was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer who in 1953 became, with Edmund Hillary of New Zealand, the first person to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak (approximately 29,035 feet [8,850 meters]; see Researcher’s Note: Height of Mount Everest).

There is uncertainty about Namgyal Wangdi’s early life. He claimed to have been born in the Khumbu region of Nepal (near Everest), an area that is home to the Sherpas. Some sources, however, state that his birthplace was Tshechu, Tibet (now Tibet Autonomous Region, China). It is known that his parents were Tibetan. Namgyal Wangdi likely grew up in the Khumbu village of Thame, and at some point he took the name Tenzing Norgay. He worked for several years for an affluent family in Khumjung, and, as a teen, he ran away from difficult conditions and settled in Darjeeling (now Darjiling), West Bengal, India. At age 19 he was chosen as a porter for his first expedition; in 1935 he accompanied Eric Shipton’s reconnaissance expedition of Everest. In the next few years Tenzing took part in more Everest expeditions than any other climber.

After World War II Tenzing became a sirdar, or organizer of porters, and in this capacity accompanied a number of expeditions. In 1952 the Swiss made two attempts on the southern route up Everest, on both of which Tenzing was sirdar. He went as sirdar of the British Everest expedition of 1953 and formed the second summit pair with Hillary. From a tent at 27,900 feet (8,500 meters) on the Southeast Ridge, they reached the summit at 11:30 am on May 29. He spent 15 minutes there “taking photographs and eating mint cake,” and, as a devout Buddhist, he left an offering of food.

After his feat he was regarded as a legendary hero by many Nepalese and Indians. His many honours included Britain’s George Medal and the Star of Nepal (Nepal Tara). Man of Everest (1955; also published as Tiger of the Snows), written in collaboration with James Ramsey Ullman, is an autobiography. After Everest (1978), as told to Malcolm Barnes, tells of his travels after the Everest ascent and his directorship of the Field Training Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, which the Indian government established in 1954. Tenzing: Hero of Everest (2003), a biography of Tenzing Norgay by mountaineer and journalist Ed Douglas, is a sensitive appreciation of his life, achievements, and disappointments.