Nawang Gombu became the first person to climb Mount Everest twice. He reached the summit on 1 May 1963 and 20 May 1965. His long teaching career also helped train Indian mountaineers.
Two Everest ascents
How was Gombu connected to Tenzing Norgay?
Gombu was the nephew of Tenzing Norgay. He was born in 1936. He grew up near Everest and later followed his uncle to Darjeeling.
He joined the British Everest expedition in 1953 as its youngest climbing Sherpa. He carried loads to the South Col, a high pass below the summit.
Gombu did not reach Everest’s summit during that expedition. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached it on 29 May 1953.
This distinction matters: joining an expedition and reaching the summit are different achievements. Gombu’s own first summit came ten years later.
Sources: Himalayan Club: remembrance · Alpine Journal: Gombu’s life · HMI: climbing and teaching
Check 1. Gombu reached Everest’s summit during the 1953 expedition.
Who climbed with him in 1963 and 1965?
On 1 May 1963, Gombu reached Everest’s summit with Jim Whittaker. They were members of the American Mount Everest Expedition.
Whittaker became the first American to reach Everest’s summit. Gombu’s partnership with him belongs to the American expedition of 1963.
On 20 May 1965, Gombu returned to the summit with A. S. Cheema. They climbed with the Indian Everest Expedition led by M. S. Kohli.
Gombu thus became the first person to summit Everest twice. The two ascents occurred in different years and with different national expeditions.
Kohli’s expedition eventually put nine climbers on the summit. That total describes the whole expedition, rather than Gombu and Cheema’s summit pair alone.
Sources: Alpine Journal: Gombu’s life · 1965 expedition record · Indian Everest expeditions
Check 2. Gombu’s record-setting second ascent took place in 1965.
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Three years, three different roles
Sources: Alpine Journal: Gombu’s life · 1965 expedition record
Training and honours
How did he turn climbing experience into teaching?
Gombu completed a mountain guide course in Switzerland with Tenzing Norgay in 1954. He joined the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) from its founding year, also 1954.
HMI is based in Darjeeling, West Bengal. Gombu taught basic and advanced climbing skills during more than 40 years of service. He trained thousands of Indian climbers during those years.
He became HMI’s Director of Field Training in May 1976. Tenzing Norgay had held that role from the institute’s beginning.
Gombu later served as an honorary adviser until his death in 2011. He also worked as an instructor on Mount Rainier in the United States.
A summit record marks an individual climb. Teaching spreads the skills gained through years of climbing. Gombu contributed through both routes.
Sources: HMI: climbing and teaching · Himalayan Club: remembrance · Alpine Journal: Gombu’s life
Check 3. Gombu and Tenzing Norgay both served as HMI’s Director of Field Training.
Which honours should you connect with Gombu?
Gombu received the Padma Shri in 1964 and the Padma Bhushan in 1965. He received the Arjuna Award in 1967.
His other honours included the Indian Mountaineering Foundation Gold Medal in 1966. He also received Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Medal and the Hubbard Medal.
President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam presented his lifetime achievement honour in 2006. The honour belonged to the 2005 Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards.
Keep the award category year separate from the presentation year. A caption dated 2006 does not change the award’s 2005 category.
Gombu died in Darjeeling on 24 April 2011. His legacy includes Everest expeditions and the training of later climbers.
Sources: Himalayan Club: remembrance · HMI: climbing and teaching · Himalayan Club: lifetime honour
Check 4. Gombu’s lifetime award presentation in 2006 belonged to the 2005 award category.
Keep the records separate
How does Gombu’s record differ from Santosh Yadav’s?
Gombu became the first person to climb Everest twice in 1965. Santosh Yadav became the first woman to achieve two ascents in 1993.
The records concern different groups. Gombu’s first applies to all climbers; Yadav’s first applies specifically to women.
The years are 28 years apart: 1993 minus 1965 equals 28. That gap compares the dates of two historical firsts.
Being first does not mean being the only person who ever repeated the achievement. Later repeat ascents do not erase Gombu’s historical first.
For quick revision, connect Gombu with two Everest ascents and HMI teaching. Connect Tenzing with Hillary and the first confirmed summit in 1953.
Sources: HMI: climbing and teaching · Alpine Journal: Gombu’s life · Yojana: Santosh Yadav
Match each person to the exact record
Sources: HMI: climbing and teaching · Yojana: Santosh Yadav
Check 5. Gombu’s 1965 record and Yadav’s 1993 record describe the same historical first.
Questions and answers
Who was Gombu’s uncle?
Tenzing Norgay was his uncle. Their careers also connect through the 1953 expedition and teaching at HMI.
Who partnered him on his second summit?
A. S. Cheema climbed with Gombu on 20 May 1965. M. S. Kohli led the Indian expedition.
Was Gombu the first American to summit Everest?
No. Jim Whittaker was the first American to summit Everest. Gombu climbed alongside him in 1963.
What does HMI stand for?
HMI means Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. It is based in Darjeeling, where Gombu taught climbing skills.
5 practice MCQs
Check the climbing partners, double ascent, expedition total and HMI connection.
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