International Mount Everest Day: Interesting facts about Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa

The celebration of International Everest Day holds great importance in promoting Nepal's mountain tourism. The participants of this event encompass ministers, climbers, tourism entrepreneurs, and government officials. The day is marked with memorial gatherings, processions, and special festivities held in both Kathmandu and the Everest region.

Edmund Hillary, a beekeeper from New Zealand, partnered with Norgay on a 1951 expedition to Everest. Following his triumphant ascent to the summit, Hillary embarked on numerous thrilling expeditions, venturing to both the north and south poles.

Hillary was made the New Zealand High Commissioner to India in 1984. He wholeheartedly championed conservation efforts and public service until his demise in January 2008 at the age of 88.

Tenzing Norgay grew up in the village of Thame in Nepal. He received the name Tenzing which means fortunate from a high lama. Initially, he worked as a porter on various Everest expeditions during the 1930s and made multiple attempts to reach the summit starting in 1947.

Finally, at the age of 39, Norgay successfully reached the peak, earning widespread admiration and becoming a revered figure in Nepal and India, where he lived until his demise in 1986. Although he did not make another ascent to the summit, his son, Jamling Tenzing Norgay, followed in his esteemed footsteps and accomplished the feat in 1996.