Nepal honours Sherpa guides, climbers to mark 70th anniversary of Mount Everest conquest

Nepal began celebrating the anniversary as Everest Day after Hillary's death in 2008

People from the mountaineering community in climbing gear participate in a rally to mark the 70 anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, May 29, 2023. | Photo Credit: AP

Nepal's government honoured record-holding climbers on May 29 during celebrations of the first ascent of Mount Everest 70 years ago.

Hundreds of people from the mountaineering community, Sherpa guides and officials attended a rally in Kathmandu to mark the anniversary. Participants waved celebratory banners and walked in the center of Kathmandu to tunes played by military bands.

Among those honoured were Sherpa guides Kami Rita, who climbed the world's highest mountain twice this season for a record 28 times overall, and Sanu Sherpa, who has climbed all of the world's 14 highest peaks twice.

Hari Budha Magar, who became the first double above-the-knee amputee to climb Everest, was also honoured by the country's Tourism Minister Sushila Sirpali Thakuri.

“May 29 is a day when we all always remember and be proud of when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing (Norgay) Sherpa reached the top of Everest and it is the day the Sherpas became known," Sanu Sherpa said.

Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit on May 29, 1953. Nepal began celebrating the anniversary as Everest Day after Hillary's death in 2008.

Since their ascent, thousands of people have scaled the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak and hundreds have also lost their lives on the unpredictable slopes.

During the 2023 climbing season, hundreds of climbers and their guides scaled the peak, and 17 either died or went missing.

The popular Himalayan climbing season begins in March and ends in May after which monsoon winds and rain and melting temperatures make the mountains too hazardous for climbing.