Nepal is set to name two Himalayan peaks after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the men who first climbed Mount Everest 60 years ago
Hillary, a New Zealander, and Tenzing, who grew up in the valleys around the 8,850-metre (29,035-foot) peak, reached the top of the world’s highest mountain on May 29, 1953 as part of a British expedition.
Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary after their ascent of Mt Everest in 1953. Pic/Getty Images
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A government panel has now recommended that two unnamed mountains be called Hillary Peak and Tenzing Peak ‘to honour their contribution to mountaineering in Nepal’. The two peaks Hillary’s at 7,681 metre and Tenzing’s at 7,916 metre are among a batch of new summits expected to be opened to foreigners next spring.
Officials hope the peaks will attract more climbers and help boost tourism in Nepal. Tourism now accounts for about four per cent of Nepal’s economy. Tenzing’s family has said he has not received sufficient international recognition for his achievements. A small airport Hillary built in the 1960s at Lukla, the gateway to Everest, has already been named after him and Tenzing.
4,000
No of climbers who have made it to the summit of Everest since 1953
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