A Great Mountaineer

They called him “Tiger of the Snows,” but those close to him knew Tenzing Norgay as a quiet, gentle man with an engaging smile. Back in 1953, he stood out among his Nepalese Sherpa tribesmen because he was bigger--about 5 feet, 8 inches tall--and he was interested in climbing to the summits of his Himalayan homeland. Most of Norgay’s countrymen were content to carry loads of climbing gear part way up a mountain for the sahibs and then hurry back to base camp. They were often reluctant followers, not guides.

Thus, Tenzing was chosen to join Edmund Hillary, the lanky New Zealand beekeeper, on the final push to the summit of 29,028-foot Mt. Everest. On May 29, 1953, this unlikely pair became the first men to step onto the highest point on Earth. In the ensuing decades, their names have been linked inseparably.

The physical link was broken this past week when Norgay, believed to be 72 years old, succumbed in Darjeeling, India, to a chronic lung ailment.

The spiritual connection between the two, and their disparate cultures, will continue, however. Hillary helped establish the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, which Norgay directed and then served as adviser. They worked together to combat exploitation of Sherpas and other native porters and to train them to climb safely. Hillary, now New Zealand’s ambassador to India and Nepal, has founded and financed hospitals and schools for Sherpas.

For years, there was considerable controversy over which man first set foot on the summit of Everest, which the natives called Chomolungma, goddess mother of the world. Norgay refused to answer directly, saying “This is teamwork . . . We climbed together.” In fact, Hillary led the final stretch. That matters little. The impact of both men’s footprints remain forever and equally implanted in the accounts of the world’s great adventures.