Jim Whittaker

The nephew of Tenzing Norgay, Nawang Gombu was the youngest Sherpa climber on the 1953 Everest expedition carrying supplies above 25000 feet. He went on to become the first man in the world to summit Mt. Everest twice. He stood on the highest point on the planet with Jim Whittaker on the American expedition in 1963 and again on the first successful Indian expedition in 1965. But 'firsts' are only a small part of what makes this man's story extraordinary. A deeply spiritual man all his life, he helped his family and others achieve what had been so hard for him to accomplish. Standing on the shoulders of his famous uncle, he helped lift the status of Sherpas to that of world-class climbers.

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When Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa, joined Edmund Hillary as the first men to summit Mount Everest in 1953, it alerted the world to the indispensable role of the Sherpas on any Himalayan expeditions. By 1954 the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) was founded to marry the high-altitude strengths of the Sherpa with technical climbing skills. The HMI’s arduous training program has been developing mountaineers who play crucial roles in the success of Himalayan ascents. In 1967, HMI’s field director Nawang Gombu, a Sherpa and the first man to summit Everest twice, was charged with training women as well. In Sherpa: the Proving Grounds we follow a team of intrepid young women as they attack the grueling 28-day course.

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In this documentary first broadcast in 1993, Chris Bonington looks back at the first ever expeditions to conquer Mount Everest and the effect that the achievement of climbing the mountain had on climbing as a whole worldwide.

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Instructional film about a mountaineering technique to prevent falling. Narrated by Jim Whittaker, who describes basic self arrest positions, common mistakes and how to prepare for self arrest while climbing or descending. Several climbers demonstrate falls and safety techniques. This film was made on Mt Rainier, above the east side of Nisqually Glacier, in 1967. The film opens with a scene of a climber falling and sliding out of control after losing his ice axe. The narrator describes the basic self arrest position, common mistakes, and how to prepare for self arrest while climbing or descending.

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"In 1963, Swiss climber Norman Dyhrenfurth began 'a little war against a big mountain.' Leading 19 Americans, 32 Sherpas, and 909 porters carrying 27 tons of gear, Dyhrenfurth spearheaded the highly successful 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition for his adopted country. Jim Whittaker, accompanied by Nawang Gombu Sherpa made the first ascent by the Hillary-Tensing route. On May 22, Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld made the first ascent by the unclimbed West Ridge. They descended by the South Col, making the first traverse of Everest. Orson Welles narrates the spectacular record, and the film includes the first ever filmed images from the summit."

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A documentary about alpinism that takes place on Mount Kennedy. It was produced in 1965 by Hearst Metrotone News. It's part of the series, "Screen News Digest - Camera on the World". It features Robert F. Kennedy, Jim Whittaker, George R. Senner, Dee Molenaar, Bill Prater, Barry Prather and others.

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