Tenzing Norgay And The Sherpas Of Everest

Tenzing Norgay And The Sherpas Of Everest

Product Description In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary b ecame the f irst climbers to summit Mt. Everest, the defining moment of 20thcentury exploration. Although honored worldwide, Tenzing could never harness the changes his passion for climbing brought to his Sherpa people, and he died a forgotten man. Authored by Tenzing Norgays grandson and illustrated with scores of dramatic and historical photographs, here is an intimate look at a proud and enigmatic man, and the story of Everest from the Sherpa point of view. From the Back Cover Finalist, Banff Mountain Literature Award The first ascent of Everest, fifty years ago, was one of the defining moments of twentieth-century exploration. At 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary stood together on the summit of Everest. High in a clear, blue day with a gentle five-knot breeze, the two men stood above and apart from the rest of the world, wrapped in a private triumph. It was a moment too perfect to last. They hugged, Hillary took the famous photos, and they gazed in awe at the worlds receding curve. But as they turned to descend, they could not appreciate the tide of human clamor that awaited them. Tenzing would later say that had he known what lay below, he might have stayed on the mountain forever. No expedition reached the summit of Everest without the assistance of the legendary Sherpas. Now Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest tells the story of Everest from the Sherpa perspective. It is a fascinating account of a proud and enigmatic culture and a man who carried the inspiration of his people to the top of the world. Gives a face to the Sherpa heroes. . . . Tenzing Norgay and his generation of climbers forged a path that the Sherpa people now navigate daily.--Eric Weihenmayer, the first blind mountain climber to summit Everest, Time A breath of clean air. . . . As fascinating as the story of Tenzing and what the Everest climb did to his life is the books compassionate account of the Sherpa people.--India Today More than a biography of one man. Its the history of his people.--Sydney Morning Herald About the Author Tashi Tenzing, grandson of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, worked as a trekking and mountaineering guide in the Himalaya before meeting and marrying his Australian-born wife, Judy Pyne, one of the regions first female mountain guides. In 1990 they settled in Australia and established Tenzings Himalayan Travel Centre. They collaborated on Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest. In May 2002, Tashi summitted Everest a second time, following his grandfathers footsteps.