Nepal Opens Peaks Named After Hillary, Tenzing to Foreign Climbers

Nepal has honoured the first conquerors of Everest, naming two Himalayan mountains Hillary Peak and Tenzing Peak.

A government panel last September recommended two unnamed mountains be called Hillary Peak and Tenzing Peak to honour the pair’s contribution to mountaineering in Nepal.

The conquest of Everest by New Zealand’s Hillary and his Nepali guide Tenzing in 1953 popularized Nepal as a destination for mountain climbers.

The Himalayan country is home to eight of the 14 peaks in the world over 8,000 meters (26,247 ft).

Tilakram Pandey, a senior official at the Tourism Ministry, said the peaks – Hillary at 7,681 m (25,200 ft) and Tenzing at 7,916 m (25,971 ft) – were unclimbed so far.

“Many foreign Alpine clubs and climbers have shown interest in the opening of these mountains,” he said.

Tourism accounts for 4 percent of Nepal’s gross domestic product, and permit fees paid by climbers are a major source of income for the government.

Hillary and Tenzing were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt.

Both climbers were subsequently named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Originally published 22 May on Reuters