' This is the story of how on 29 May 1953 two men both endowed with outstanding stamina & skill reached the top of Everest & came back unscathed to rejoin their comrades. ' Yet this will not be the whole story for the ascent of Everest was not the work of one day nor even of those few anxious unforgettable weeks in which we prepared & climbed this summer. It is in fact a tale of sustained & tenacious endeavour by many over a long period of time... We of the 1953 Everest Expedition are proud to share the glory with our predecessors.' Sir John Hunt