1963 American Mount Everest expedition

First traverse and American ascent August 2024 August 2024 thumb|Mount Everest from the west with West Ridge sloping down over snowfield (center), flanked by Changtse (left) and Lhotse (right background) On the 1963 American Mount Everest expedition, Jim Whittaker and Sherpa Nawang Gombu reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 1, 1963, using the conventional route via the South Col. This was the first time the summit had been reached by an American. However, on May 22 two other team members also reached the summit, this time taking a route that traversednote In mountaineering, the word "traverse" can be used in various rather different ways but the meaning here is to go up one side of a mountain and down another. the mountain by ascending the West Ridge and moving onto the North Face to attain the summit before descending via the Southeast Ridge and the South Col. Everest had never been traversed before. Back home in the United States, the main cause for celebration by press, politicians and the public was Whittaker's achievement. Worldwide, however, the mountaineering establishment and enthusiasts regarded the traverse via the West Ridge by the Americans Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld as the greater achievement. In any case, the expedition led to a burgeoning of mountaineering in the United States over the following decades. The leader of the expedition was Norman Dyhrenfurth who had been the photographer on the 1952 Swiss Mount Everest expedition. At a White House reception for the team when they returned to the United States, he accepted the Hubbard Medal from president John F. Kennedy on behalf of the whole team. Background Climbing on Everest prior to 1963 After the 1921 British reconnaissance, attempts to climb Everest had been from Tibet because Nepal was closed to foreign climbers. Then, in 1950, Tibet's borders were closed when it was occupied by the People's Republic of China and by that time no expedition had been able to reach the summit. Partly on account of the political situation in Tibet, Nepal started allowing climbers entry in 1950. After the reconnaissance expedition of 1951, the Swiss attempts of 1952 nearly reached the summit via the Khumbu Icefall, Western Cwm, Geneva Spur, South Col and Southeast ridge.Unsworth 1981 489–497 In 1953 the British reached the summit for the first time, largely following the Swiss route.Isserman Weaver 2008 285 The Swiss again succeeded in 1956 and China did so from the north on the 1960 Chinese expedition using a route over the North Col.Unsworth 1981 347–353, 361–362, 495–496 American involvement John F. Kennedy's election as president of the United States brought in a marked change of rhetoric from that of the aging, conservative Eisenhower administration. America was to seek a "New Frontier" and in the Cold War would "pay any price, bear any burden ... to assure ... the success of liberty".Kennedy J.F. John F. Kennedy - Inaugural Address https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm www.americanrhetoric.com March 26, 2024 August 22, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240822092235/https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm live Isserman Weaver 2008 353–354 The Green Berets and the Peace Corps extended their influence into Nepal, described in a recruitment advertisement as "The Land of Yeti and Everest".Isserman Weaver 2008 353–354 Norman Dyhrenfurth thought this political situation might provide a good opportunity for progressing a long held ambition. Dyhrenfurth had emigrated from Switzerland to the United States in 1937, shortly before World War II, and he was, like his father Gunther Dyhrenfurth, an amateur mountaineer.Everest pioneer Norman Dyhrenfurth dies aged 99 https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/obituary_everest-pioneer-norman-dyhrenfurth-dies-aged-99/43551424 SWI Swiss Broadcasting Corporation 27 September 2017 March 25, 2024 August 22, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240822092321/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/obituary_everest-pioneer-norman-dyhrenfurth-dies-aged-99/43551424 live Isserman Weaver 2008 354 From the time in 1952 when he had been the official photographer on the Swiss Mount Everest expedition he had held an ambition to lead his own expedition up the mountain.Isserman Weaver 2008 354 Based on the experience of previous Everest expeditions, he would need to raise several hundred thousand dollars, an amount previously unachievable in the United States. Bolstered by the Chinese claim to have left a bust of Mao Zedong on the summit during their 1960 expedition, he took a clearly political approach claiming that a successful ascent would help towards "winning new friends in many places". He wrote seeking a meeting with Kennedy and took the reply from Jerome Wiesner merely offering Kennedy's "best wishes" as being the president's strong endorsement for an expedition in 1963.Isserman Weaver 2008 354–356 Dyhrenfurth's seemingly extravagant appeal for $186,000 (equivalent to $USD 0.186000 1961 +2 million in USD prices) appalled the American mountaineering establishment with Charles Houston, who had led the 1938 American K2 expedition, claiming that such a large expedition violated the true spirit of mountain climbing.note The team member and author of the book giving the official account of the expedition, James Ramsey Ullman, wrote "In [our United States], raising money for a mountaineering venture is only slightly less difficult than, say, soliciting funds for the erection of a statue of Karl Marx on the White House Lawn".Dyhrenfurth Unsoeld 1964Ullman 1964 21 However, the resulting controversy in the press, together with Kennedy's earlier rhetoric, helped the cause with major support coming from the National Geographic Society which provided $114,000 ($USD 0.114000 1961 +2 million in USD prices) but only if there was a scientific component to the venture. Dyhrenfurth had anticipated this and arranged scientific work that would only involve the climbing of the mountain and that nearly all the scientists would be mountaineers. The eventual cost was $400,000 ($USD 0.400000 1961 +1 million in USD prices).Unsworth 1981 364–366 Preparations To emphasize the expedition's scientific credentials, Dyhrenfurth selected an academic team – five had doctorates, eight held master's degrees and only two were non-graduates. The team's deputy was Will Siri, a physiologist, who coordinated the scientific program. He had been on (and led) several oversees expeditions, including to Nepal. James Ramsey Ullman was to write the official account of the expedition but he did not get far beyond Kathmandu because of illness. All were American except Jimmy Roberts, the transport officer, who was British and lived in Nepal.Unsworth 1981 366 + Team membersUllman 1964 295–309 and notable Sherpas Name role onexpedition agenote time At time of expedition. professionnote time educationClimbers Al Auten radiocommunications 36 editor BS Physical Sciences Barry Bishop still photography 31 photographer forNational Geographic BS Geology MS Geography Jake Breitenbach 27 mountain guide BS Mathematics Barry Corbet 26 mountain guide andski instructor Geology Major Dave Dingman doctor 26 physician MD Dan Doody cinematography 29 film maker BS AgriculturalMechanics Norman Dyhrenfurth leader,cinematography 44 film producer-director,explorer Fulbright Scholar Tom Hornbein oxygen 32 anesthesiologist MD Lute Jerstad 26 speech instructor,mountain guide MA Speech Jim Lester psychology ofclimbers 35 clinical psychologist PhD Maynard Miller geology andglaciology 41 professor of geology BS, MA GeologyPhD Dick Pownall food planning 35 math & PE instructor BS, MA Barry Prather geologist,radio 23 aeronautics engineer BS Physics Gil Roberts doctor 28 physician MD Jimmy Roberts transportand Sherpas 45 lieutenant colonel,British Army (retired) Will Siri deputy leader,science coordinator 44 physicist PhD Jim Ullman expeditionauthor 55 writer aboutmountaineering BA Willi Unsoeld 36 professor, directorPeace Corps, Nepal BS PhysicsPhD Philosophy Jim Whittaker clothing andequipment planning 34 outdoor recreationstore manager BS BiologySherpas ChotariUllman 1964 82 assistant sirdar Ang DawaUllman 1964 155 Sherpa forDyhrenfurth 38Ullman 1964 53 Girmi DorjeUllman 1964 155 Sherpa forWhittaker Phu DorjeUllman 1964 156 & 342 assistant sirdar Nawang GombuUllman 1964 155 Sherpa &interpreter ≈30 Ullman 1964 53 Passang PhutarUllman 1964 53 sirdar Trek from Kathmandu The expedition left Kathmandu on February 20, traveling by jeep the first 15 mi to Banepa before starting a 190 mi on trek to Namche Bazaar just south of Everest.Ullman 1964 55, 59–60 There were 37 Sherpas and 909 porters carrying 65 lb on loads – in all 29 tons (29 ST tonne out off) of equipment and supplies. In trying to help in fund raising, Dyhrenfurth had suggested they might attempt the "Grand Slam" of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse but when this was discussed in detail during the walk-in the mountaineers were unenthusiastic. He had also considered descending Everest by its West Ridge after an ascent via the South Col but the idea then developed that the greater achievement (which would also be safernote Without prior reconnaissance there would be no way of knowing whether a West Ridge descent was possible and if they were blocked there would be no means of retreat.Unsworth 1981 368) would be to climb Everest by its West Ridge.Unsworth 1981 366–368 Hornbein strongly favored making this the main target, along with abandoning a climb by the conventional South Col route. In the end it was agreed to send a four-man team up via the South Col to attempt the summit and to separately, and secondarily, reconnoiter the West Ridge which would at least provide photographs of the Tibetan side of the mountain. If the reconnaissance was successful a traverse of Everest could be attempted. The expedition would also attempt Lhotse.Unsworth 1981 367–369 700px|center|thumb|Approach march, Kathmandu to Base Camp (part marked red in jeeps) Eventual camps established on climbs + Camps on routes to summitnote Although different sources only have slight differences between the quoted altitudes of the camps, the dates of "establishment" can vary by a few days because the definition is not precise. Southeast Ridgeroute elevationfeet (meters) established(1963) West Ridgeroute elevationfeet (meters) established(1963) Base Camp 17800 ft onDyhrenfurth 1964 3 March 21Dyhrenfurth 1964 3 stores dump 19200 ft onDyhrenfurth 1964 5 March 26Dyhrenfurth 1964 5 Camp I 20200 ft onDyhrenfurth 1964 5 March 28Dyhrenfurth 1964 5 Advance Base Camp 21350 ft onDyhrenfurth 1964 6 March 31Dyhrenfurth 1964 6 Camp III 22900 ft onDyhrenfurth 1964 6 April 14Dyhrenfurth 1964 8 Camp 3W 23800 ft onDyhrenfurth 1964 9 April 9Unsworth 1981 375–376 West Shoulder 24000 ft on 3Dyhrenfurth 1964 6 Camp IV 24900 ft onDyhrenfurth 1964 8 April 14Dyhrenfurth 1964 7 Camp 4W 25100 ft onDyhrenfurth 1964 16 May 15Hornbein 1998 13 Camp V (South Col) 26200 ft onUllman 1964 314 April 29Whittaker 1999 106 Camp 5W 27250 ft onGillman 2000 79 May 21Hornbein 1998 157 Camp VI 27450 ft onDyhrenfurth 1964 11 April 30Dyhrenfurth 1964 11 summit 29028 ft onHornbein 1998 16 May 1 & 22Hornbein 1998 13 29028 ft onHornbein 1998 16 May 22Hornbein 1998 13 Preparations for summit attempts Advance Base Camp in Western Cwm On March 21 the party reached Base Camp and over the next two days they started setting a route up the Khumbu Icefall. Meanwhile, some of the West Ridge enthusiasts climbed to get a better view of the Ridge and it gave a very daunting impression with its 5000 ft on line of steep rock scarcely covered with any snow. However, this also made it a more alluring challenge. On March 23, an ice cliff on the Icefall collapsed without warning, burying Breitenbach, whose body could not be recovered from under tons of ice. The climbers considered giving up the expedition, or the West Ridge aspect, but they decided to carry on and reached the Western Cwm where on March 30 Camp I was established.Isserman Weaver 2008 361–362 Camp II, established at 21350 ft on April 2, was to become Advance Base Camp at the point from which the two ascent routes would diverge.Unsworth 1981 372 West Ridge reconnaissance Initially, the West Ridge reconnaissance was to take priority. Most climbers preferred the South Col effort but they also wanted to avoid ongoing arguments and they thought the West Ridge efforts would eventually fail anyway. Hornbein's team was weakened by the death of Breitenbach and by Corbet and Emerson's failure to acclimatize. Only Hornbein, Unsoeld, Bishop and Dingman were available and Dingman was not fully fit. Setting off on April 3, Unsoeld and Bishop climbed 1000 ft and returned to Advance Base Camp. On April 5 Hornbein and Bishop retraced this route and then climbed towards the left up ice slopes until they could cross snow slopes over to the right reaching 23500 ft with the West Shoulder above them leading to the upper West Ridge. The Shoulder could provide a staging point for porters to leave supplies once the route there had been made safe.Unsworth 1981 373–375 With the help of Sherpas camp 3W was established and by April 11, from the Shoulder, the four climbers could examine the terrain all the way up to the summit. If they were forced off the crest of the ridge it would need to be onto the Everest's North Face (technically in China) rather than the steeper Southwest Face.Unsworth 1981 376 They could see over the northern approaches to Everest from Tibet and to the North Col, 1000 ft below them and across a vast amphitheater of glaciers.Isserman Weaver 2008 362 The ridge immediately ahead looked difficult so they prospected both this route and a gully sloping to the left to the foot of a location later to be known as the Hornbein Couloir.note The gully leading to the foot of the Hornbein Couloir was called the "Diagonal Ditch" by the expedition.Dyhrenfurth 1964 18 Neither route seemed possible for porters who would be required for an attempt on the summit. On April 13 they climbed to 25100 ft where they found a site suitable for a Camp 4W and a possible route towards the summit.Unsworth 1981 376–377 By the time they had returned to the Western Cwm on April 13 after their West Ridge reconnaissance, the South Col group had taken a vote that resolved to have two teams dedicated to the South Col route. This meant no Sherpas would be available for the West Ridge. Dyhrenfurth did, however, offer the West Ridge climbers the opportunity to join in the South Col approach to the summit – Bishop was the only climber to accept this offer.Isserman Weaver 2008 362–364 Summit via South Col thumb|South Col Route (brown) and West Ridge–North Face route (red) The route preparation up the Lhotse Face made rapid progress and the South Col was reached on April 16, well before monsoon season. The first summit team consisted of the climbing pair of Whittaker and Gombu, with a second pair of Dyhrenfurth himself and his Sherpa Ang Dawa. The second team was Bishop, Jerstad, Pownall and Girmi Dorje. A third team of Dingman and Prather would attempt the summit of Lhotse. The first summit team left Advance Base Camp on April 27 and established Camp VI at 27450 ft on the Southeast Ridge on April 30.Isserman Weaver 2008 364–365 This top camp was some 450 ft lower than Dyhrenfurth had planned but he, laden with camera equipment, had lagged behind: the Sherpas had already positioned the camp and were on their way back down before anything could be done. Worse, the whole party had been using far more oxygen than had been planned and the Sherpas were even using it when descending.Unsworth 1981 380–381 Next day the two pairs of climbers set off one hour apart in very windy conditions but the second pair, laden with the camera equipment, had to turn back. Gombu and Whittaker reached the summit at 13:00 on May 1, being careful to arrive exactly together so as to avoid press criticism. There was nothing visible of anything left from the 1960 Chinese expedition.Isserman Weaver 2008 365 Unable to make radio contact either with the South Col camp or Base Camp, they returned to Camp VI where Dyhrenfurth and Ang Dawa were waiting.Isserman Weaver 2008 365Ullman 1964 197 The plan had been for the first team to descend all the way to the South Col on May 1, leaving Camp VI free for the second team. However, the second team did not attempt to go up to this camp because they assumed the summit bid would have been delayed. On May 2, because of a shortage of oxygen supplies, with only Bishop and Jerstad climbing up towards Camp VI, they found the first team members descending, and in a very poor physical condition. They all returned to the South Col and then retreated down the Lhotse Face. The attempt on Lhotse was also abandoned.Isserman Weaver 2008 366–367 News of the summit achievement reached the world's press on May 3 but the names of the climbers had been kept secret so the newspapers would not ignore any later summit success. President Kennedy, not knowing that one of the successful climbers was a Sherpa, announced "I know that all Americans will join me in saluting our gallant countrymen".Isserman Weaver 2008 367, 517 However, when back at Base Camp, there were recriminations.Unsworth 1981 383 Dyhrenfurth blamed Hornbein for the shortage of oxygen on the col though he was later to acknowledge that it was not there that the problem lay.note Dyhrenfurth himself had used oxygen continuously at and above the col and yet had still been unable to photograph or film near the summit. He had not rationed other people effectively but had blamed Hornbein for not taking sufficiently many oxygen cylinders on the expedition and for keeping too many cylinders back for the West Ridge party.Ullman 1964 210 Unsoeld was able to restrain Hornbein's anger, and Bishop maintained his calm during these discussions but was very critical of the overall leadership in a letter he wrote back home. However, they were still halfway up the mountain early in the season and so were about to embark on what was to become, at least in mountaineering circles, part of mountaineering history.Isserman Weaver 2008 368 Because Dyhrenfurth had been unable to film anything from near the summit he restaged some action near Base Camp and pretended it was filmed at Camp VI.Schaffer 2013 chapter 4 Unsworth says it was only because of the comparatively lackluster performance on the first summit climb that the traverse was even seriously attempted.Unsworth 1981 384 There would be two separate attempts up different routes on the same day, meeting at the summit, and descending together. Bishop wrote "Lute Jerstad & I have the nod & we'll move up the 11th for an 'all or nothing' try on the 18th. Plans call for Unsoeld & Hornbein to try for top the same day – via the W. Ridge. Talk about a long shot!".Isserman Weaver 2008 368 Summit via West Ridge and North Face While the South Col efforts had been underway Hornbein and Unsoeld had been continuing their West Ridge preparations in so far as they were able. Corbet and Emerson had recovered from altitude sickness and Auten, the radio operator, had joined them. Without Sherpas, their main problem was to lift supplies up to the West Shoulder. They had tried a winch but this was not at all effective. Mostly by manhauling, between April 16 and May 13, the five men managed to carry up what was needed.Unsworth 1981 379 On May 14 Unsoeld, now with Sherpas, reached Camp 4W on the West Shoulder, dumped their loads, and returned to 3W. On May 15 Unsoeld and Hornbein reached the foot of the Hornbein Couloir while Corbet joined Auten at 3W. On May 16 Emerson, fighting his returning sickness, set off for 3W in a storm, just missing Dyhrenfurth's order for him to descend. He was not able to reach the camp but he successfully bivouacked in a crevasse. At about midnight, two of the three tents at 4W were blown away 50 yard down the cliffs towards the West Rongbuk Glacier in Tibet with Corbet, Auten and four Sherpas inside them. In the morning everyone retreated to 3W. Hornbein later said they would have gone on down to Advance Base Camp if they had not been too tired. A new plan was agreed that only two climbers – Hornbein and Unsoeld – would attempt the summit and there would only be a single camp above 4W, not two as intended previously. Dyhrenfurth, over the radio, approved the plan, accepted the further delay, and started dispatching further supplies.Unsworth 1981 385–387 On May 20 All India Radio news said that the monsoon would arrive in the Everest vicinity any day soon.Dyhrenfurth 1964 18 On that day they reoccupied 4W and next day Corbet and Auten set out, followed by Hornbein, Unsoeld, Emerson and five Sherpas.Unsworth 1981 388 Hornbein wrote, "Our plans for May 21 seemed a little ridiculous. First, Barry and Al had to explore and prepare an unknown route to the site for our high camp, 5W. We would give them a 2½-hour headstart. Next, five untried Sherpas must traverse the North Face, climbing more than two thousand vertical feet with loads, twice the distance ever carried before at that altitude".Hornbein 1998 151 They climbed part way up the Hornbein Couloir to where it started to cross the Yellow Band to establish Camp 5W on a tiny ledge.note Hornbein later speculated that the couloir would have been much more difficult if the recent storm had not blown off most of the snow.Isserman Weaver 2008 369, 517Unsworth 1981 388 The Hornbein Couloir is a few hundred yards (metres) west of the Norton Couloir, also on the North Face.Dyhrenfurth 1964 18 Waking at 04:00 and leaving camp at 07:00, Hornbein and Unsoeld set off for the summit taking oxygen, food and walkie-talkie but abandoning tent and sleeping bags.Isserman Weaver 2008 370 The slope up the Hornbein Couloir across the Yellow Band was at 55° and it took four hours to climb the first 400 ft. At the end of the couloir they encountered a 60 ft on cliff. Hornbein managed to place a piton only 8 ft from the top of the cliff but then, exhausted, he had to abseil down. Unsoeld, helped by the rope, reached the piton and then reached the top of the cliff where Hornbein could now join him. From there, there was no retreatnote With few pitons, they were having to remove each piton as they climbed.Hornbein 1998 162 and they would have to descend via the South Col.Isserman Weaver 2008 369–370 Once out of the couloir they found the way ahead led to the Northeast Ridge so they changed direction to the right on the North Face and then climbed to the West Ridge very near to the summit itself.Dyhrenfurth 1964 21 The final stage of the climb was comparatively straightforward and at 18:15 on May 22, 1963, they reached the summit arm in arm.Isserman Weaver 2008 370 The original plan had been for two pairs to tackle the West Ridge and Bishop and Jerstad would ascend the Southeast Ridge hoping to meet them on the summit with Dingman, Roberts and Dorje going as high as possible. If they could not meet on the summit, all climbers would descend by the route they had come up, it being too dangerous for the West Ridge climbers to take the Southeast Ridge without support.Unsworth 1981 384 Hornbein and Unsoeld were too late in the day for the planned rendezvous but they could see Bishop and Jerstad's footprints in the snow and knew the way back down the West Ridge was impossible. After radioing down to Advance Base Camp they descended by the Southeast Ridge, reaching the South Summit at 19:30 in the dark. They shouted hoping for support from Camp VI but it was Bishop and Jerstad, trapped 400 ft below them, who heard and replied. They had reached the summit at 15:30 but, after taking some motion film, had left at 16:15 and had become exhausted on the descent. The four climbers carefully went on down but stopped at midnight and settled on a rock to wait for daylight, huddling together at over 28000 ft through the clear, still night. As they went further down the Southeast Ridge next morning they met Dingman and Dorje coming up, searching. They had expected to find their companions missing or dead but instead found they were able to assist all four of them.Isserman Weaver 2008 370–372Unsworth 1981 390–392 Subsequent events Return home When all climbers were down at Base Camp the news was radioed to Kathmandu and was in the US newspapers the same day. On May 27, from Namche Bazaar, Bishop and Unsoeld, who both had frostbitten feet, were taken by helicopter to hospital in Kathmandu while the rest of the expedition started their trek back there on foot. Jerstad had lesser frostbite and needed to be carried on a stretcher but he eventually recovered and Hornbein was unaffected. While still in Nepal, Unsoeld lost all but one of his toes, while at Bethesda Naval Hospital Bishop needed all his toes and two finger tips amputating.Isserman Weaver 2008 372Ullman 1964 280, 283, 290 In New Delhi they were received by prime minister Nehru and ambassador J.K. Galbraith.Ullman 1964 287 Reception in America Back in the United States the reception was overwhelmingly focused on the first American ascent.Schaffer 2013 chapters 1 and 7Isserman Weaver 2008 372–374 It was announced on the front page of the New York Times on May 3 even though at the time Whittaker's name had not been disclosed. Three weeks later the first traverse, which received far more attention from the mountaineering establishment in Europe, was only mentioned on page 28 although in retrospect it could be seen as ushering in an Alpine style of climbing on an "eight-thousander".Isserman Weaver 2008 372–374Schaffer 2013 chapters 5 and 6 Whittaker became the hero of the expedition and the only person whose name became well known. The firm he worked for, Recreational Equipment Incorporated, a consumers' cooperative organization, increased its membership from 50,000 to 250,000 between 1965 and 1972 and its outlets spread nationwide from a single Seattle store.Isserman Weaver 2008 373–375 The National Geographic Society proclaimed it as their expedition and Dyhrenfurth was offended when he was ignored. However by July 8 matters had been rectified and Dyhrenfurth was presented with the Hubbard Medal by President Kennedy.note Dyhrenfurth said he accepted the medal on behalf of all the team.Kennedy John F. John F. Kennedy Remarks Upon Presenting the Hubbard Medal to the Leader of the American Everest Expedition American Presidency Project July 8, 1963 https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-upon-presenting-the-hubbard-medal-the-leader-the-american-everest-expedition August 17, 2024 August 22, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240822092322/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-upon-presenting-the-hubbard-medal-the-leader-the-american-everest-expedition live Replica medals were given to the other members of the expedition.Ullman 1964 288Isserman Weaver 2008 372–374 Afterwards In 1965 National Geographic's film Americans on Everest, narrated by Orson Welles,Ullman 1965 aired on CBS television and received the highest ratings for a documentary up until that time.Isserman Weaver 2008 373–376 see also Q129677309 tt0219500 Americans on Everest Also in 1965, Whittaker famously led senator Robert Kennedy on the first ascent of Mount Kennedy, which had recently been named for the first time for the recently assassinated president.Isserman Weaver 2008 373–374 Jourdan 2013 Whittaker 1999 121–139 chapter 7 The entire crest of the West Ridge was climbed for the first time, from its lowest point at the Lho La to the summit of Everest, by the 1979 Yugoslav Mount Everest expedition.Unsworth 1981 461Skarja 1981 Notes note References Citations Sources Dyhrenfurth Norman G. Norman Dyhrenfurth Americans on Everest, 1963 Alpine Journal 1964 69 308 1–22 https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1964_files/AJ%201964%201-22%20Dyhrenfurth%20Everest.pdf Dyhrenfurth Norman G. Norman Dyhrenfurth Unsoeld William F. Willi Unsoeld Mount Everest, 1963 Himalayan Journal 1964 25 https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/25/2/mount-everest-1963/ (reprinted from Dyhrenfurth Norman G. Unsoeld William F Mount Everest, 1963 American Alpine Journal 1964 1964 none) Gillman Peter Everest: Eighty years of triumph and tragedy 2000 1993 Little, Brown 0-316-85687-8 Book People Hornbein Thomas F. Tom Hornbein Everest: the West Ridge 1998 1st published 1965 Mountaineers Seattle 978-0-89886-616-2 https://archive.org/details/everestwestridge0000horn_u6l0 Isserman Maurice Maurice Isserman Weaver Stewart Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes 2008 Yale University Press New Haven 9780300115017 1 https://archive.org/details/fallengiantshist00isse registration Jourdan Michael Mountain Tribute to JFK Evoked by Kennedy Trip to Yukon National Geographic 6 August 2013 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/130805-kennedy-rfk-jfk-mountain-climbing-adventure-yukon-assassination Schaffer Grayson Lost on Everest The Outside 2013 https://www.outsideonline.com/2162776/lost-everest https://web.archive.org/web/20170408023128/https://www.outsideonline.com/2162776/lost-everest 8 April 2017 Outside Interactive live Skarja Tone Yugoslav Everest Expedition Himalayan Journal 1981 37 2 https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/37/2/yugoslav-everest-expedition/ Ullman James Ramsey James Ramsey Ullman Americans on Everest; the official account of the ascent led by Norman G. Dyhrenfurth 1964 Lippincott Philadelphia https://archive.org/details/americansonevere0000ullm review of Ullman"s book: Tilman H.W. Bill Tilman Review: Americans on Everest Alpine Journal 1966 163–184 https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1966_files/AJ%201966%20163-184%20Reviews.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20151120122308/https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1966_files/AJ%201966%20163-184%20Reviews.pdf 20 November 2015 live none Ullman James Ramsay James Ramsay Ullman directed by Dyhrenfurth, Norman, narrated by Welles, Orson 1965 Americans on Everest television documentary https://archive.org/details/AmericansonEverest National Geographic Society Pyramid Home Video Unsworth Walt Everest Allen Lane 1981 0-7139-1108-5 https://archive.org/details/bwb_T2-DZQ-028 Whittaker Jim Jim Whittaker A life on the edge: memoirs of Everest and beyond 1999 The Mountaineers Seattle 0-89886-540-9 https://archive.org/details/lifeonedge00jimw 87–139 Further reading How We Climbed Everest Bishop Barry Barry Bishop (mountaineer) 1963 National Geographic 124 4 474–507 http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0305/feature1/story.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080127125313/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0305/feature1/story.html dead January 27, 2008 none Bishop Barry Barry Bishop (mountaineer) Everest–1963 The Mountaineer 15 March 1964 1964 111–116 https://www.mountaineers.org/about/history/the-mountaineer-annuals/indexes-annuals-maps/the-mountaineer-1963 live The Mountaineers https://web.archive.org/web/20200814084115/https://www.mountaineers.org/about/history/the-mountaineer-annuals/indexes-annuals-maps/the-mountaineer-1963 14 August 2020 none Clements Philip W. Science in an Extreme Environment: The 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition 2018 University of Pittsburgh Press 978-0-8229-4511-6 10.2307/j.ctv6p4qz none Coburn Broughton The Vast Unknown: America's First Ascent of Everest 2013 Crown Publishers 978-0-307-88716-0 none Dyhrenfurth Norman G. Norman Dyhrenfurth Everest 1963 de Die Alpen 1964 1964 126–132 https://www.sac-cas.ch/de/die-alpen/mount-everest-1963-10503/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200925050220/https://www.sac-cas.ch/de/die-alpen/mount-everest-1963-10503/ 25 September 2020 live Schweizer Alpen-Club none External links AmericansonEverest Americans on Everest 27 59 18 N 86 55 31 E type:mountain_scale:100000 dms title 1963 Mount Everest 1963 Mount Everest 1963 Mount Everest 1963