60th Anniversary of first Everest climb

Exactly 60 years ago, something very special was happening on one of the world’s most mysterious peaks. We think we have some mighty mountains here by the Oakeley Arms in Snowdonia, but the towering hill of Yr Wyddfa is nothing compared to the giants of Nepal. And it was on Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain in Nepal, that 60 years ago today, that mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary made history.

Hillary and his team became the first known people to reach the summit of Everest, doing so on the 29th May 1953. Hillary, a mountaineer from New Zealand was part of the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition led by British Army colonel John Hunt. Hillary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay, reached the summit at 11:30 am, and the event made the world news.

Welsh journalist and correspondent for The Times, Jan (then James) Morris was part of the expedition team, and had to rush down the mountain with the news and make sure it was telegraphed to the UK before any of the other news agencies got hold of the stories.

The news was broken in British newspapers on the same day as the Queen’s Coronation – 2nd June 1953; a double celebration! The Everest team returned to Britain as heroes, and Jan Morris went on to become on of the country’s most renowned travel writers and historians. Jan Morris still lives in North Wales today.

You can read more about Jan Morris’ part in the expedition here

So, take a moment today to remember the incredible feat of Hillary, Norgay and the team. Their efforts paved the way for modern mountaineering methods, and since that day, almost 5,000 climbers have successfully made an Everest ascent. Perhaps it could be a challenge for next year?

Sir Edmund Hillary statue
Image by Jonathan Keelty on wikicommons