Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest (Paperback)

~ (Author), Judy Tenzing (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This latest Himalayan climbing tale could be subtitled "Homage to the Sherpas," for as Tenzing knows, no expedition has ever reached the summit of Everest without their aid. A former mountaineering guide himself, Tenzing retells some of the sport's most famous climbs, focusing on the career of his grandfather, Tenzing Norgay, "the most renowned of all Sherpas, Man of Everest, Tiger of the Snows," who made the first successful ascent of Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. He also details his grandfather's later years, including the controversy about who actually reached the summit first (it was likely Hillary by a nose, Tenzing says) and the ambivalence Norgay felt about his sudden celebrity. But what distinguishes this book from the many others on Himalayan climbing is Tenzing's exploration of Sherpa society and history. Tenzing, who is married to an Australian (who collaborated on this book) and lives in Australia, is conflicted over the modern world's effects on the Sherpas. On the one hand, steady Himalayan tourism and the demand for Sherpa guides has been a "blessing" more jobs has meant more money and better living (a lower infant mortality rate, for example). On the other hand, Tenzing admits that the boost in climbing has led to environmental degradation and increased drug use among Sherpas. Even though his story is unlikely to climb the bestseller lists, it will appeal to the wide audience for survival books, as it tells familiar stories from a fresh point of view. Illus.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary b ecame the f irst climbers to summit Mt. Everest, the defining moment of 20thcentury exploration. Although honored worldwide, Tenzing could never harness the changes his passion for climbing brought to his Sherpa people, and he died a forgotten man.

Authored by Tenzing Norgay's grandson and illustrated with scores of dramatic and historical photographs, here is an intimate look at a proud and enigmatic man, and the story of Everest from the Sherpa point of view.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (April 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007141309X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071413091
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,072,175 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique sherpa's view on Everest expedition, January 13, 2003

By	"charlesmaruta" (Parkville/Melbourne, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest (Hardcover)

This book written by a grandson of Tenzing Norgay, the most renown Sherpa, and his wife living in Sydney is very unique, as all other previously published books on Everest expeditions or anthropology of Sherpas were written by so-called "non-Sherpa" mountaineers born and grown-up outside of Himalaya region. This book tells us a fascinating "insider's" story about the development of sherpas' community with the discovery of the highest peak on the earth (Mt. Everest) in Hamalaya region, and a subsequent increasing rush by overseas mountain-climbers to this rather remote and isolated region of earth. The 1953 great success by the sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand in reaching the summit of Everest for the first time opened the "golden" age of Himalaya trekking, and changed dramatically the way of life in Sherpas' community, better or worse, depending on the given aspects. Among many inspiring episodes interwoven in this book, the life-long "multi-cultural" friendship of the Swiss climber Raymond Lambert and the NZ climber Sir Edmund Hillary with Tenzing Norgay and his family is most moving for myself, a Japanese amateur alpinist living overseas for more than three decades. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first ascent, we have recently translated this book into Japanese, and are planning to publish it for Japanese youth and olds in 2003. The German, French and Italian versions of this book are also scheduled to be published around May 29, 2003, comemmorating this historical event or moment. Depending on your own mother tongue, you are highly encouraged to read one of these five versions including the original English to share the excitement associated with scaling the world-highest peak with the sherpas in Himalaya region or those now working overseas in a variety of fields other than mountaineering.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Reference, January 11, 2006

By	Chan Joon Yee "Dr Chan" (Singapore) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a very valuable reference book written by Tashi Tenzing, grandson of the legendary Tenzing Norgay. It provides detailed accounts of the lives of Sherpas and their contributions to Himalayan expeditions.

The first chapter introduces us to the mountains and the people living in their shadows. The author traces the origins of the Sherpa people and how the summit of Everest came to be a prized trophy which sparked a race between European nations.

The next few chapters deal with the history and politics of Everest expeditions, mentioning pioneering tigers of the snow like Ang Tshering. Only in the 4th chapter does Tenzing Norgay come into the limelight. The author goes into great depth and detail, revealing the rather human side of this idol.

Chapter 6 gives us a brilliant historical account of Tenzing's successful summit of Mt Everest in 1953. The uniquely Sherpa point of view is refreshing. Like Tenzing's life after the climb, the book then runs into an anti-climax.

However, the author picks up the momentum again, writing about his own quest for Everest. Tashi reached the summit in May 1997 and became the first third generation Sherpa to accomplish the task.

The book finished off with writeups on other Tenzings and other outstanding Sherpas on Everest. I would recommend the book for readers who are interested in history and biographies. It's fair that the book is not just about Tenzing Norgay, but the sheer amount of details, including a lot of "family matters" not related to mountaineering may cause the reader looking for adventure stories to lose his focus. This is a good reference but not a page-turner.

4.0 out of 5 stars Everest from the Sherpa perspective, January 21, 2008

By	Arthur Digbee (Indianapolis, IN, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Tashi Tenzing Sherpa is a grandson of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, who was (with Edmund Hillary) the first person to summit Mount Everest. Tashi has also summitted Everest, and now works as a Himalayan expedition guide from his new home in Australia. A half-dozen other relatives, and quite a few friends, have also summitted mountain - - and, for the most part, successfully descended the mountain as well.

This book is meant to tell the story of Everest from the Sherpas' eyes. It certainly succeeds at this. The appendix, which lists all Sherpa summits, provides documentation of these mountaineering successes that differs significantly from the stories of heroic foreigners on Everest that we outsiders tend to hear. From this perspective, it's not surprising that Tashi managed to score two A-list people to write forewards to his book, Sir Edmund Hillary and the Dalai Lama. Both of these men have been advocates of the Sherpas, and Tashi does right by them.

Though successful in its documentation, its success is more mixed as a book. It succeeds most when, in the middle, it is the most personal. The book is less interesting when it tells stories that other people could, in principle, also have told.

The book falls into three parts. In the first, Tashi tells the story of the Sherpa people in general, and provides capsule stories of some early Sherpa mountaineers. These stories seem as if they've been told elsewhere, and they don't really benefit from the fact that Tashi has personal knowledge of some of the players.

The second part draws on family memories and Tashi's own experiences to tell the stories of Tenzing Norgay, his descendants, and Tashi himself on Mount Everest. This part moves well, and tells a compelling story.

The third part returns to presenting capsule stories of particular Sherpas on Everest. Again, Tashi's personal ties disappear here, and many of them read like encyclopedia entries.

The book includes a large number of black-and-white pictures, past and present, which are very interesting. On a final personal note, I finished reading this book at roughly the same time that Sir Edmund Hillary died, a fact that lent poignancy to the book when I learned of Hillary's death the next morning. For that reason, it lingers a bit more with me than it will probably linger with you. But if you're interested in Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpa people, you'll probably enjoy the book.