The son of Tenzing Norgay, the legendary Sherpa who, along with Sir Edmund Hillary, was first to climb Mount Everest, attacked novice climbers yesterday and said that 50 years after his father's epic ascent the world's highest mountain had "lost its spirit of adventure".
Jamling Tenzing, who climbed Everest in 1996, said that his late father would have been shocked to discover that rich thrill-seekers with no climbing experience were now routinely reaching the summit.
"You still have to climb this mountain yourself with your feet. But the spirit of adventure is not there any more. It is lost," Jamling told the Guardian.
"There are people going up there who have no idea how to put on crampons. They are climbing because they have paid someone $65,000 (£40,000)." He added: "It is being very selfish. It endangers the lives of others."
Jamling's outburst comes days before Nepal embarks on elaborate celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's historic achievement on May 29 1953.
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