Six hours that defied history and death on Mount Everest

India Today

6 days ago

In March 1953, nearly 400 climbers, guides and porters assembled in Kathmandu, Nepal, aiming to conquer the world's highest peak--Mount Everest.In early May, the group, led by British Colonel John Hunt, began ascending the peak at 8848 metres (29,032 feet).From the foothills of the Himalayas, the expedition advanced to the South Col at 25,938 feet, where the mountaineers began their final push.advertisement
After the failure of the first group to reach the top, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were tasked with the final attempt.Hillary, 33, a lanky New Zealand beekeeper, and Tenzing Norgay, 39, a skilled Sherpa from Nepal's Khumbu Valley, were an unlikely duo. But their grit and adventurous spirit made them the perfect pair to challenge the world's highest peak, defying history's odds.This is the story of their final six hours on Mount Everest.
MAY 29, 1953, 6:00 AM, CAMP IXMT EVEREST, 27,900 FEETFrom his cramped two-man tent in the middle of the 'Death Zone,' Hillary stared at the South Summit of Mount Everest. The first rays of sun danced on the snow slopes reaching toward the crest, creating a kaleidoscope of white, grey, orange and gold. The freezing wind, blowing at 30 mph, howled like an angry pack of wolves, stabbing Hillary in the ribs with its sharp gusts.advertisementTwo days earlier, the British expedition of Sherpas and climbers had pegged the tent on a narrow ledge, anchoring it in unstable snow. Hillary and his Sherpa, Norgay, had spent the night twisting and turning. Kept awake by anxiety and temperatures below -25C, the two climbers were exhausted by dawn. But they were determined to succeed where others had failed.On May 26, history had slipped from human grasp when fellow mountaineers Charles Evans and Tom Bourdillon came within 300 feet of the summit but were forced to turn back— defeated by exhaustion and malfunctioning equipment.Gazing at the barren landscape of serrated rocks and steep slopes, Hillary clenched his fist. 'We've come so far, let's give it another push,' he said in a resolute voice to his Sherpa. 'It's now or never.'After a light breakfast washed down with warm lemonade, the two were ready for their final journey—defying history and death.THE DEATH ZONE, 6:30 AM-8:00 AMThe altitude above 26,000 feet is called the Death Zone because it is impossible to survive at this height for long. With the air pressure being a third of the sea level, hypoxia sets in quickly. The brain becomes fuzzy. Normal activities like setting the oxygen flow sap energy, leading to exhaustion and severe aches. Only the most resolute and brave survive.advertisementAs Hillary and Norgay stepped out of the tent, their muscles screamed, lungs gasped, and minds reeled. Lugging 30-pound oxygen cylinders, axes, and ropes on their shoulders, they took their first step along the 850-foot climb to the South Summit—the last resting point before the final ascent to the top.On the narrow, slippery ridge, each step through the soft, knee-deep snow could have been fatal. Often, the cornices collapsed under the weight of climbers. With the east side falling to 10,000 feet and the west side dropping to 4,000 feet, death would have been instant.Undaunted, the climbers pushed through. With their limited oxygen supply, they had six hours to climb up, and return to the camp. Around 8 AM, after trudging through snow, Hillary and Norgay reached the South Summit.From this peak, the highest point on earth, the tip of Mt Everest was less than 300 feet away. But their elation was short-lived. Staring at them was a death trap no human had cleared in history.28,800 FEET, THE HILLARY STEP, 8 AM-10 AMBefore setting out, Hunt's team had pored over hundreds of pictures of the southeastern ridge of Mt Everest. But nothing had prepared them for the final and most daunting hurdle—a 40-foot vertical climb at 28,800 feet that stood between the South Summit and the top.advertisementWith no crevasses or ledges for support, ascending the steep rock seemed impossible. One misstep would have sent them tumbling down to Tibet, a fatal 10,000-foot plunge. And the delay would have emptied their oxygen cans, leading to a painful death. But destiny provided Hillary and Norgay an opening.Noticing a crack between the steep rock and a snow cornice—an overhanging ledge—Hillary wedged himself in it. Carrying a 40-foot rope, Hillary crept up the crack, digging his crampons–gripping hooks– into the snow. On the ground below, Norgay held the rope with nervous tension.With one exhausting pull after another, balancing on narrow openings and gasping for breath, Hillary hauled himself up. After two hours, when his hand finally grasped a saddle at the top, Hillary was tempted to let out a wild roar. But he knew time was running out—and so was their oxygen. Planting his feet on the slushy ground, leaning against a boulder, he pulled Norgay up with the rope.advertisementTHE FINAL 250 FEET, 10: 00 AM-11: 30 AMStretching out towards the sky, the peak of Mount Everest, a narrow plateau, sparkled under the ascending sun. A narrow ridge, lined with unstable cornices, separated the climbers from their tryst with destiny—a mere 250 feet away. But every step seemed a mile long.Hillary and Norgay had expended their last reserves of energy. Their knees were collapsing under the burden of their efforts. The mind, dazed by hypoxia, struggled to trace the path ahead. But the heart ticked to the beat of an inner voice—keep moving, don't give up.Holding on to a rope that tied the two climbers, they inched their way ahead. When Norgay fell behind, Hillary egged him on; when the Kiwi felt like giving up, the Sherpa lent his shoulder. Their toes freezing, shoes almost like plasters casts in steely ice, the two men groaned past every inch— like one unit toward their final destination.Around 11:30 AM, Hillary stepped onto a small, rounded platform—the highest point on earth. The whoosh of the wind celebrated their arrival. The summit, a 10-to-20-foot dome, laid out a wind-woven snow carpet. Hillary's gaze fell over an abyss, dropping 8,848.86 meters (29,032 feet). The sky, as if in anticipation of their historic achievement, was clear.advertisementA few seconds later, Norgay joined him to feast on the panoramic view. Flipping open his camera, Hillary clicked several rounds of pictures–of the peak and his partner. But Norgay couldn't capture the moment for Hillary—the Sherpa didn't know how to operate a camera.Norgay offered biscuits to the peak, Hillary left a cross given to him by expedition leader, Colonel Hunt. Together they drove into the snow four flags representing the United Nations, United Kingdom, Nepal and India.With just an hour's supply of oxygen left, they started descending the peak at 11:45 AM. In a few hours, they were back at their base camp—leaving behind footmarks that were to guide thousands to the top of the world.EPILOGUE:Back at South Col, their final staging point, Hillary triumphantly announced to fellow climber George Lowe: 'We knocked the b*****d off.' Assigned the task of conveying the news to the world, a Sherpa runner covered approximately 200 miles to Kathmandu. The account of the conquest was first narrated to James Morris, a correspondent for The Times, who had accompanied the expedition. Morris relayed it to London via a coded telegram. On June 2, 1953, the story broke—coinciding with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.The world was finally under humanity's feet.