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| Noel Odell photographed by John Noel |
On June 8th 1924, around 12.50 pm,
a British geologist was collecting fossils at around 26,000 feet on the north
ridge of Everest. Noel Odell was climbing to Camp
VI through the mist when suddenly the
entire summit ridge and the final peak
of Everest were unveiled.
Odell sighted two climbers on a rock
step far above and as he watched their dramatic appearance, the mountain became
enveloped in cloud. The climbers were Mallory and Irvine, who were never seen again and to this
day there is intense speculation on whether they reached the summit.
Ever since that fateful day, Everest has fired the imagination of mountaineers,
trekkers, historians, photographers and arm-chair enthusiasts. Every year in
May, the exploits of the climbers are followed with deep interest and fascination
the world over. Though more than three thousand people have climbed Everest,
the number of climbers and expeditions swell every year.
May 2013 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the first ascent
by Hillary and Tenzing as well as the fiftieth anniversary of the first West
Ridge climb by the American team of Unsoeld and Horbein. In an astonishing
feat, they reached the summit at 6.15 pm after climbing for eleven hours and
then descended at night by the
South Col route,
thereby completing the first traverse of the mountain.
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| Everest seen from the top of Kala Pattar |
