Dick Pownall

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.

High and Hallowed: Everest 1963 is the deeper story of the greatest Himalayan climb in American mountaineering history.

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.