At 11.30 am on the 29th May 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay from the British Mount Everest Expedition finally reached the summit and became the first people ever to have conquered the Earth’s highest mountain.
With regards to the Romney’s Kendal Mint Cake they had taken with them, a member of the team wrote:
“It was easily the most popular item in our high altitude ration packs – our only criticism is that we did not have enough of it”.
Our 3rd generation managing director, Shane Barron, recalls the moment the Romney’s team found out that the expedition was a success.
“I remember it was Coronation Day that we heard that they had made it to the top. We were watching the Coronation on a TV we had just bought second hand for the occasion.
When the news came through my grandfather was over the moon, especially by the fact that Edmund Hillary had actually eaten Mint Cake on the summit. He complained because he hadn’t been able to take enough with him to the top.”
May 2025 is a special month as it also marks the 50th anniversary of Junko Tabei becoming the first woman in the world to summit Mount Everest.
Tabei founded a women’s mountaineering club, Joshi-Tohan Club. The Joshi-Tohan Club decided to climb Mount Everest and applied for a permit in 1971. They waited four years to receive a place in the formal climbing schedule. The team, the Japanese Women’s Everest Expedition (JWEE), was led by Eiko Hisano and included 15 women from various professions.
Significant financial resources were needed for this expedition. In order to save money, they made equipment such as gloves, pouches, sleeping bags, and pants. Tabei also raised funds from the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper and Nippon Television, but the members still paid 1.5 million yen (U.S. $5,000) each.
On May 1975 the team used the same route that Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had taken in 1953. On May 4, an avalanche struck the team’s camp at 20,700 ft (6,300 meters). Five climbers, including Tabei, were buried under the snow. There were no casualties, but Tabei lost consciousness until she was dug out by sherpas. Tabei took two days to rest and recover from her injuries. She then continued with her team up the mountain. They planned on sending two women up to the summit, however due to altitude sickness, the team’s sherpas could only carry enough oxygen for one climber. Hisano nominated Tabei to complete the climb. On May 16, 1975, twelve days after the avalanche, Junko Tabei and her sherpa guide, Ang Tsering, reached the summit of Everest. This made her the 36th person to summit Everest and the first woman.
