Everest Anniversary Part 8: The climb

MAY 29, 1953

After a few hours of fitful sleep, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay forced their frozen bodies into life at 4am on May 29, 1953.

They munched on sardines and biscuits, drank soup and hot lemon drink loaded with sugar, and Hillary thawed his frozen boots over the Primus.

He and Tenzing looked towards the Thyangboche monastery 5000m below and thought about the prayers the monks would be offering for them.

Today, 50 years on, Sir Edmund's son, Peter, will host a commemorative dinner at the monastery. It is just one of many events being held worldwide as royalty and the poorest Sherpa alike celebrate the day humans first stood on the top of the world.

When Hillary and Tenzing emerged into what Hillary later described as an "icy silence", he saw at least one of the prayers had been answered - the day was fine. The expedition's exhaustive preparations had brought them far, but to reach the top they also needed luck - and they had it.

Hillary hefted 13.5kg on to his back as Tenzing led off shortly after 6.30am. They battled upwards, often through soft snow, sometimes sinking to their knees.

Just below the South Summit they found oxygen gear left by the first summit team, Tom Boudillon and Charles Evans, and Hillary was thrilled to see the canisters contained enough oxygen to get them from there back to South Col.

From the South Summit, every footstep was on untouched ground, and an effort of strength and will. Yet Hillary was loving the challenge.

They reached a rock step 12m high, smooth and holdless. At that height and as weak as they were, it could defeat them.

But running down the right-hand side was a cornice (overhang of ice) that was losing its grip on the rock. Between rock and ice was a crack just big enough for a person. Hillary squeezed in, facing the rock with his knees bent back, and jammed his crampons hard into the ice behind. It held.

Slowly, he levered himself up, then urged Tenzing to follow. That final rock face is now known as the Hillary Step.

After a brief rest they moved slowly on, cutting steps in the ice. Hillary described the last stretch in expedition leader Sir John Hunt's book The Ascent of Everest: "Our original zest had now quite gone and it was turning into a grim struggle ...

"I looked upwards to see a narrow ridge running up to a snowy summit. A few more whacks of the ice-axe in the firm snow and we stood on top."

It was 11.30am. Two men looked down on the world with nothing but sky above them.