Tenzing Norgay was one of the first two people to reach Mount Everest’s summit in 1953, alongside Edmund Hillary. They reached the top on 29 May during the ninth British expedition to the mountain.
Norgay was born in the Khumbu region, traditionally described as Nepal, and became an experienced high-altitude porter and climber. Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer. Their successful partnership combined Norgay’s Himalayan experience with Hillary’s expedition and technical climbing skills.
The pair climbed the South Col route and spent only a short time on the summit before beginning their descent. They were photographed after returning, but no photograph exists of both climbers together at the highest point because Hillary took the summit photograph of Norgay.
George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared during an earlier 1924 attempt, and it remains uncertain whether they reached the summit. Their expedition is therefore not credited with a confirmed first ascent.