General · 29 May 2026
73 Years After Hillary and Tenzing Reached Everest’s Summit, the Mountain Has Changed
Dirk Pons via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Mount Everest marks 73 years since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay completed the first confirmed ascent of the world’s highest mountain on 29 May 1953. Since then, Everest has changed from a remote mountaineering frontier into a major global tourist destination. Rising visitor numbers, crowded climbing routes and mounting environmental pressures have transformed conditions on the peak, reflecting the growing challenges facing modern high-altitude expeditions.