Mount Everest: The historic ascent of the 29^th of May 1953.    My favourite story of success and achievement.

Tenzing Norgay said “We done the bugger”

Edmund Hillary said “Well, we knocked the bastard off !”      (Bear just punched the air and I had a cheesy grin when we pulled in to Six Men's Bay, Barbados).

On the 28th the ridge camp was established at 27,900 feet (8,500 metres) by Hillary, Tenzing, Lowe, Gregory, and Ang Nyima, and Hillary and Tenzing passed the night there. The two set out early on the morning of May 29, reaching the South Summit by 9:00 AM. The first challenge on the final approach to the summit of Everest was a fairly level ridge of rock some 400 feet (120 metres) long flanked by an ice “cornice”; to the right was the East (Kangshung) Face, and to the left was the Southwest Face, both sheer drop-offs. The final obstacle, about halfway between the South Summit and the summit of Everest, was a steep spur of rock and ice—now called the Hillary Step. Though it is only about 55 feet (17 metres) high, the formation is difficult to climb because of its extreme pitch and because a mistake would be deadly. Climbers now use fixed ropes to ascend this section, but Hillary and Tenzing had only ice-climbing equipment. First Hillary and then Tenzing tackled the barrier much as one would climb a rock chimney—i.e., they inched up a little at a time with their backs against the rock wall and their feet wedged in a crack between the rock and ice. "Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it" (EH). They reached the summit of Everest at 11:30 AM. Hillary turned to Tenzing, and the men shook hands; Tenzing then embraced Hillary in a hug. Hillary took photos, and the two searched for but did not find signs that Mallory and Irvine had been to the summit. " As far as I knew, he had never taken a photograph before, and the summit of Everest was hardly the place to show him how" (EH) Tenzing, a Buddhist, made an offering of food for the mountain; Hillary left a crucifix Hunt had given him. The two men ate some sweets and then headed down. They had spent about 15 minutes on the top of the world, not long as they were running short of oxygen.

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” (EH) News of the conquest of Mount Everest did not reach the outside world until 2 June, the eve of the Queen's coronation. Colonel Hunt and Edmund Hillary were knighted on their return. Sir Edmund took part in several expeditions after that including a trip across Antarctica to the South Pole in 1958. He set up a medical and educational trust for the Sherpa people in 1961 and was New Zealand High Commissioner to India in Delhi from 1984 to 1989. He died aged 88 in January 2008. "People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things" (EH). Tenzing Norgay was awarded the George Medal for his achievement and later became director of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. He died in 1986. The body of George Mallory who had attempted the ascent in 1924 was found on Mount Everest in 1999. By the 50th anniversary of the ascent in May 2003 over 1,300 people had reached the summit of the roof of the world.

Sagamatha is Sanskrit for Sagar, sky (not to be confused with sea/ocean) and Matha, forehead or head and is the modern Nepali name for Mount Everest. In Tibet it is called Chomolungma: mother goddess of the universe. I have been fortunate to fly around the summit of this stunning mountain in a small plane AND to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a small boat. What can I say: I am truly blessed.

“You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated.” (Sir Edmund Hillary).

All in all we were sufficiently motivated - and supported by so many friends and family, Thank you.