The final push had been delayed by bad weather, debilitating sickness among some of the team members, and a surge in the number of people crowding the slopes to take advantage of a brief window of favorable climbing conditions in May. At one point, the team had to turn back for a while after they were pinned against the mountain by powerful winds.
The expedition was led by Pete Athans, whose seven ascents of Everest are more than for any other Westerner. Nima Tashi Sherpa was the Sherpa climbing leader. The other members of the team who reached the top were Hillary, Bishop, Dawa Nuru Sherpa, Da Sonan Sherpa, A Rita Sherpa, and Kami Sherpa.
The expedition, Hillary said, "really had some great commonality with what my father and Tenzing faced—summiting with a last-ditch effort at the end of the season. We weren't too much different in that respect."
The South Col route proved to be a challenge even for so experienced and strong a team. "When we went up, there had been lots of fresh snow," said Hillary. "At one stage Pete Athans was out in front…and it looked like he was breast-stroking. He was just scooping snow with his hands, and I thought, 'We're not gonna make it with these conditions.'"
Experience and determination paid off, however, and the team reached the summit on a day when the weather cooperated just enough.
Challenge of Filming
While climbing was the central focus of the team's mission, the project also entailed making a film amid the challenging conditions. The difficulties were compounded by the loss of several key personnel.
Sound recordist Dave Ruddick had lost a tooth and returned to Base Camp with an infected jaw and sinus. Cameraman Michael Graber and his assistant, Jimmy Surrette, were laid low by a gastrointestinal infection. None were able to complete the summit attempt.
Athans and Kami Sherpa took charge of the filming, assisted by Liesl Clark, head of the on-site National Geographic film unit, who guided them from Camp III.
Bishop said he was impressed by the tremendous effort involved in filming on a mountain such as Everest. "It's hard enough just to climb and take care of yourself," he said, "but then to do physical things with a camera and stay cerebrally sharp and focused on filming—it's tremendously difficult."
Hillary is optimistic that the team got some excellent footage from the summit, including dramatic images recorded in some very difficult spots. "We got some footage of climbing the Hillary step, and with the drops on either side of that ridge—well, it's better not to think about it too much because if you fall up there, you fall into different countries," he said.
As the team neared the summit, some excellent timing aided their efforts. The punishing winds died down, and it became "really pleasant up there" Hillary said. The group lingered atop the roof of the world for nearly an hour and a half.
Unsung Heroes
The Sherpas have always borne the lion's share of Everest's danger and drudgery with little fanfare, and the film looks at that important role. "It was great to work on a project highlighting the Sherpas up there on the mountain and their incredible effort," said Hillary.
"Expedition reports feature Americans or Brits on the summit without even mentioning guys named Nima Tashi [the Sherpa climbing leader]," he complained.
Jamling Norgay said he was especially pleased during the project to be able assist the film crew in telling the story of Sherpa culture, which has changed considerably since the rise of a Mount Everest "industry."
"While on the shoot I learned quite a lot about the older expeditions, about my father's time, and I learned more about my culture, from talking with the older folks in the region. That was a great experience for me," he said from his home in Darjeeling, India.
Peter Hillary said the home of the Sherpas has changed much since he was a boy and visited the region often with his family. "Very few still live as farmers," he recalled. "When we first went they grew potatoes, had yaks, maybe traded a bit. But it was hand to mouth, and cash did not feature in their lives very much."
While some people lament the changes and the major intrusions from the outside world, Hillary said the important thing is to ensure that the Sherpa people have opportunities to benefit from the inevitable changes to their homeland.
More Missions Ahead
One thing that seems not to change on Everest is the long involvement of climbers named Norgay, Hillary, and Bishop. What does the future hold for these Everest families?
Brent Bishop has already climbed the South Col route several times but said he would like to follow the West Ridge route with a dedicated team. "Climbing is a learning process," he said, "and I would learn a lot more about myself and about the mountain by climbing elsewhere."
Hillary will be back at Everest next year, as part of a mission considerably less arduous than a summit attempt. He's organizing a 50th anniversary banquet, a "1950s-style celebration" to be held in large tents at the Tengboche monastery at the foot of Everest. It will unite some of the great names in the mountain's history.
Jamling Norgay is also planning a return to Everest, but it won't include a summit attempt. He's organizing a clean-up expedition to help restore the pristine condition of the mountain, which is revered by Sherpas and other local people but has been scarred by the by-products of decades of expeditions. Hillary is involved in the effort, which also includes environmental projects in the Khumbu region and educating villagers about issues such as deforestation and garbage management.
"Fifty years later the sons have already climbed Everest," Norgay explained, "but they go back to clean the mountain—it's an important way we can give back."
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