Everest 1951 : The Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition 1951

In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest. They climbed from the south, from Nepal, via the Khumbu Glacier – a route first pioneered in 1951 by a reconnaissance expedition led by Eric Shipton. This is the account of that groundbreaking expedition.

It was the first to approach the mountain from the south side, it pioneered a route through the Khumbu icefall and it was the expedition on which Hillary set foot on Everest for the first time. A short but vitally important read for anybody with any interest in mountaineering or in Everest, it captures a pivotal moment in climbing history.

The 1951 Everest Expedition marked the public highpoint of Shipton's mountaineering fame. Key information was discovered and the foundations laid for future success. Despite this, Shipton's critics felt he had a 'lack of trust' and thus failed to match the urgent mood of the period. Despite having been on more Everest expeditions than any man alive, he was 'eased' out of the crucial leadership role in 1953 and so missed the huge public acclaim given to Hillary, Tenzing Norgay and John Hunt after their historic success.