Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa made history on May 29, 1953, when they reached the summit of Mount Everest from Nepal via the Western Cwm and South Col. This June, Hillary and an impressive roster of 50 Everest climbers will gather in San Francisco for the official North American celebration of the 50th anniversary of that first ascent of the highest mountain on earth.

"The emphasis will be on celebration," said Norbu Tenzing Norgay, whose father made the historic ascent of Mount Everest with Hillary and who now serves as vice president of the American Himalayan Foundation (AHF), which is sponsoring the event. "Since the Foundation is Hillary’s primary partner in providing assistance to the Sherpa people of the Khumbu, the renowned climber wants to take part in this official celebration of the climb to ensure his vision of giving back to the people of the Khumbu lives on."

Climbers such as Maurice Herzog, Jon Krakauer, Jim Whittaker, Junko Tabei, Ed Viesturs, Apa Sherpa, David Breashears, Pertemba Sherpa, Sharon Wood and others will take part in the June 10 event to celebrate the anniversary. Tickets to the program, as well as a commemorative poster, are available through the AHF.

"A gathering of this scale will not take place again," said Tenzing Norgay. "It is, after all, 50 years, so it is the right time not just to look back at the ascent of Everest, but to see what has happened since then in the Khumbu region of Nepal, and to see that that work continues. The people who live up on the shoulders of Everest still struggle to survive every day. So the work that Hillary and the American Himalayan Foundation has done continues to be important. If we don’t do it, nobody else will."

To symbolize the anniversary, the Royal Geographical Society has given the AHF permission to reproduce in poster form the famous 1953 image of Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa during their historic climb.

"This is a part of the world that means a lot to many people," Tenzing Norgay concluded. "We are inviting those who care about the Everest region to join us as we celebrate not just the triumph of Hillary and my father, but Sir Ed’s humanitarian legacy over the last half century. Those who attend will help us carry on Hillary’s work with schools, hospitals, regreening, and sacred sites--work that has transformed the lives of the Sherpas."

The celebration begins at 6:30 on June 10th, 2003. Information on ordering tickets to the event, or ordering posters, is available at www.himalayan-foundation.org, or contact the American Himalayan Foundation at (415) 288-7250 or via e-mail: everest@himalayan-foundation.org.

— Peter Potterfield, MountainZone.com Correspondent