Tenzing ice axe

Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was born Namgyal Wangdi in Khumbu, north-eastern Nepal. Like many Sherpas Tenzing sought to begin a career in mountaineering, signing on at age 20 with the 1935 British Mount Everest Expedition under Eric Shipton. For the next 20 years Norgay served as a guide and porter on three further British mountaineering expeditions, and took part in his first Everest Summit attempt in 1947.

In 1952 Norgay took part in two Swiss Everest attempts as a full expedition member, rather than simply as a porter, and helped open up new climbing routes from the Nepalese side of the mountain. In 1953 Norgay took part in another expedition on Everest led by British mountaineer John Hunt. He quickly gained a rapport with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, who selected him as a climbing partner for any attempt on the summit. After dealing with adverse weather conditions both Hillary and Tenzing made a final, successful attempt in the summit of Everest, reaching it at 11:30am on the 28th of May 1953.

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