Such great heights

Tenzing Norgay’s son was at the Delhi CWG to inspire the New Zealand team

Does the number 29028 ring a bell? What if the names Hillary and Tenzing are thrown in? For the uninformed, the number represents the height of Mount Everest, first scaled by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay back in 1953.

Combined, “29028 Hillary Tenzing” comprises the logo for the New Zealand team at the Commonwealth Games being held in Delhi — as a means to honour the incredible accomplishment of the two men and inspire the Kiwi athletes.

“They were great adventurers, two great pioneers and it is apt that they are being honoured by the New Zealand team,” says Jamling Tenzing — the 45-year-old son of the late Tenzing Norgay. He is in Delhi along with Peter Hillary — son of Edmund Hillary — to motivate the team and inspire it to the dizzying heights of greatness his father attained.

 

Jamling reveals that Edmund Hillary and his father had remained close till the time of their deaths and this fondness had filtered down to their children. “Peter and I are very close,” he says. “In fact, people refer to us as the “sons of Everest!” The duo collaborates on lectures and documentaries and makes time to travel to new places together.

Norgay, a Nepali-Indian Sherpa, was named one of <I>Time </I>magazine’s 100 most influential people of the 20th Century. He also received the Padma Bhushan from the Indian government in 1959. Norgay died of cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 71 in Darjeeling.

An accomplished sportsman in his own right, having scaled the Everest in 1996, Jamling reminisces about the role his father played in kindling his passion for mountain climbing and the outdoors. “I would tag along with my father on his expeditions from a young age. Climbing mountains makes you realise how truly small you are in the larger scheme of things — it is a humbling experience.”

He laments the lack of out-doorsiness in children today, saying that mountain climbing taught him “independence, patience and raised my confidence level in a way that nothing else could have”. This is the reason he encourages his three young daughters to rock climb when they are on holiday together. “I do not expect them to be mountain-climbers,” he explains, “I simply want them to be fit and to increase their ability to trust in themselves and others.” He points to the fact that his father had tried to make the climb six times before he was finally successful. “He never gave up. It was an important lesson for me to learn and to impart to my children.”

His own ascent to the world’s highest peak was the subject of a 1998 IMAX film entitled Everest.  He speaks candidly about his motivation for the dangerous climb, saying, “It was a way for me to reconnect with my father, who died when I was 21.” He describes the journey as “emotional” as he was “constantly wondering if my father had walked in the exact same steps I was taking” and recalls his pride at accomplishing the feat 43 years after his father had. When asked whether he would make the attempt again; given the immense joy it had given him, he shakes his head with a wry grin and says, “No, I promised my family not to do it again.”

Today, Jamling lives in Darjeeling and spends his time climbing recreationally and leading treks for would-be mountaineers. He has also become a sought-after lecturer, sharing the life lessons he has gleaned from his climbs with corporate leaders. Yet when asked where he was the happiest, he firmly assures me that he would always rather be “on the mountains”.

Jamling’s evolving pursuits outside the field of mountaineering echo the words of his famous father: “I have climbed my mountain, but I must still live my life.”