Nepal Celebrates 60th Anniversary of First Everest Climb
Amelia Rose Hillary (C) walks to place a garland on statues of her grandfather Sir Edmund Hillary (L) and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (R), in Kathmandu, May 29, 2013.
Nepal Celebrates 60th Anniversary of First Everest Climb
Nepal has celebrated the 60th anniversary of the first conquest of Mount Everest by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal.
A colorful parade on Wednesday in the capital, Kathmandu, honored Hillary and Norgay, as well as other climbers who have set records scaling the world's tallest peak.
Climbers and dignitaries placed flower garlands around statues of Hillary and Norgay, and horse-driven carriages followed by hundreds of people took guests to the royal palace for an event to mark the anniversary.
Also, a Russian sports star marked the anniversary by performing a record-breaking base jump from Everest. Valery Rozov jumped from a height of 7,220-meters.
Hillary and Norgay scaled Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. The ascent of the 8,850-meter peak is considered one of the 20th century's greatest feats of exploration.
There have been a number of other record-setters on Everest in recent days.
Yuichiro Miura, right, and his son, Gota pose at their South Col camp at 8,000 meters before their departure for Camp 5 during their attempt to scale the summit of Mount Everest, May 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Miura Dolphins Co. Ltd.)
An 80-year-old Japanese man, Yuichiro Miura, became the oldest person to climb the Himalayan peak. An 81-year-old Nepalese man, Min Bahadur Sherchan, set out to break Miura's record but abandoned his ascent Tuesday due to bad weather.
Sudarshan Gautam, a Nepalese-born Canadian who lost both arms in an accident, became the first double amputee to reach the summit.
Arunima Sinha of India was the first female amputee to climb the mountain. She lost her left leg after being thrown out of a moving train in 2011.
Raha Moharrak became the first Saudi woman to conquer the peak.
Nearly 4,000 people have climbed Everest since 1953, and more than 200 have died trying to reach the summit.
