Cheryl Talbert
In 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first men to reach the sacred summit of Mount Everest. Jamling Tenzing Norgay was born on April 23, 1965, in Darjeeling, India, the fourth of six children. Following in his father's footsteps, Jamling Tenzing Norgay summited Mount Everest for the first time in 1996, just two weeks after nine people died in the mountains most deadly storm ever recorded.
Not only did Jamling make it to the top of the world’s most forbidding mountain – described by the Sherpa people as “The Mother Goddess of the World” – but he also helped capture it all on film. As a central figure in Director David Breashears Imax film Everest, Norgay helped to portray not only the physical challenges of the Mountain, but the mental and spiritual challenges faced by the climbers.
Described as the “Titanic of cocumentaries”, Everest played to sold out audiences across the country, capturing for the first time on large format film the breathtaking view from Everest’s summit. Filmed during the same spring that nine people on Everest died in a sudden storm, it depicts the selflessness of Jamling and his companions in risking their own lives to save their fellow climbers.
Jamling released his book Touching My Father's Soul in the spring of 2001, and it has since been released in 18 languages. His book has reached the #24 spot on the New York Times Best sellers list, and #15 in Germany. It was nominated for three awards in Canada, England, and the U.S.
Today Jamling runs his adventure travel company Tenzing Norgay Adventures, personally guiding treks and trekking peaks in Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal. When he's not guiding, Jamling travels around the world doing lectures as a motivational speaker, sharing his personal experience about his father's historic climb of 1953, his own climb 43 years later, and about the Sherpa culture. He also continues to be involved with the Tenzing Norgay Climbing Club, a group Jamling founded in 1997 to help the kids off the streets.
Jamling's trekking company supported a Mountaineers Global Adventure in the Sikkim Himalaya in 2003 and will support another this fall. Mountaineer Craig Miller recalls a story of Jamling's great sense of humor on a 2003 trek he led for The Mountaineers with Jamling's company:
In 2003 I hired Jamling Tenzing Norgay to be our sirdar (head guide) for a Mountaineers Himalayan trek. We got to know Jamling well, he was a wonderful friend, and we played jokes on each other. On one occasion, after Jamling observed that I ate a lot of food, he got way ahead of me on the trail, found a horse's feedbag, labeled it "Craig", and placed it along the trail!
Meet Jamling March 24
Whether you harbor your own Everest dreams or love to see great photos and hear stories of immense peaks, stunning accomplishments, and unique culture, don't miss out on this opportunity to meet Jamling and hear his extraordinary stories. Don't wait - space is limited and will sell out fast!
