Press Room

Watch the Friendship Beyond Borders team
in action during their successful summit bid

Check out up-to-the-minute news coverage of our expedition team on Everest at Google News

Press articles from August 2004
The San Francisco Chronicle
 S.F. worker helps Sherpa rise above disability to Everest  (August 20, 2004)
Nepal Tourism Board
Tourism personalities honoured by His Majesty the King (August 2004)
The San Francisco Chronicle
San Rafael man leads team in Everest ascent (August 6, 2004)
 MountEverest.net 
 Everest and Himalaya autumn 2003 Expeditions (August 4, 2004)

Press articles from July 2004
The Kathmandu Post / Kantipur Online
ESA honors Everest summiteer (July 26, 2004)
Gorkhapatra Daily--The Rising Nepal
Amputee Nawang Sherpa bags Everest Award (July 26, 2004)
Indo-Asian News Service
After Everest, one-legged Sherpa sets sights on Guinness (July 26, 2004)

Press articles from June 2004
ExplorersWeb.com and MountEverest.net
Exweb Everest Debrief: Nawang Sherpa Summit Video (June 21, 2004)
Everest summiteers Nawang and Tom party at Rum Doodle (June 1, 2004)
Nepal News Agency Everest Award (June 4, 2004)
NepalNews.com
Spotlight, Mountaineering: Cold Rush More than 1368 mountaineers have climbed atop the Mt. Everest in the last 51 years (June 4, 2004)
Hindustan Times
Nepal honours disabled summiteer with Everest Award (June 4, 2004)
The Nepali Times
Records tumble on Everest (June 4, 2004)
Kathmandu Post / Kantipur Online
Disabled Everester feted (June 4, 2004)

Press articles from May 2004
NOTE: Our Team member Nawang Sherpa was NOT involved in reported plane crash
The Sherpas of Nepal--Sherpa Mi Sherpa power on Chomolungma (May 2004)
The Kathmandu Post / Kantipur Online
One legged Nawang Sherpa climbs atop Everest (May 24, 2004)
Disability no bar to this Sherpa to scale Everest (May 23, 2004)
72 mountaineers ascend Everest (May 16, 2004)
Al-Bahhar.com (Arab Emirates)
Nepal honours disabled mountain climber with Everest Award (May29, 2004)
Yanous (France--Disabled persons news from the world)
Les personnes handicapées au fil de l'actualité internationale (May31, 2004)
Everest-News
Friendship Beyond Borders Accomplished (May 2004)
The Nepali Times
Able climber (May 2004)
Nepali Post/India Times
On top of the world, on a prosthetic leg (May 2004)
Nepal Mountaineering Association--Highlights of History
Newsletter/Update (May 2004)
View Nepal
Everest and Himalaya weekend WRAP-UP/ Mount Everest (May 2004)
The Swedish Association of Traffic and Polio Victims
På världens topp - med protes (May 26, 2004)
NepalPhoto.com News
Handicapped Nepali Sherpa climbs atop Everest (May 23, 2004)
South Asia AFP
Four years after losing part of leg, he stands on top of world (May 24, 2004)
South China Morning Post
That wasn't so difficult, says amputee after scaling Everest (May 25, 2004)
Gorkhapatra Daily
Over 25 climbers scale Mt. Everest (May 17,2004)
Duluth News Tribune
Sherpa expedition reaches summit (May 16, 2004)
Amputee nears summit of Mount Everest (May 16, 2004)
Marin Independent Journal
Conquering Everest is story of friendship (May 19, 2004)
The Charlotte Observer
Charlotte native reaches top of world (May 23, 2004)
Peoples Journal Group (Philippines)
One-legged man conquers Mt. Everest (May 29,2004)
Aventura Sur (Argentina)--good mention of team and Ed Hommer
Los primeros en el Everest (May 2004)
Barrabés (Spain)--good mention of team and Ed Hommer
Primeras cimas en el Everest y nuevos records (May 18, 2004)
Dagens Nyheter (Sweden)
På världens topp - med protes (May 25, 2004)
Outside Magazine Online
Scores of Climbers Summit Everest (May 27, 2004)

BasecampMD.com
Rum Doodle Signing (May 30,2004)
Summit fever (May 16,2004)
Play & practice in the icefall (May 3, 2004)

ExplorersWeb.com and MountEverest.net
 Everest daily wrap up: Tons of summits more teams
making the push (May 17,2004)
Everest and Himalaya weekend WRAP (May 16,2004)
Ed Hommers TORCH on Mount Everest SUMMIT! (May 15, 2004)
Mount Everest summit push 2 - climbers below Balcony (May 15, 2004)
Read how prosthetist/orthotist Tom Halvorson has helped Nawang become an Everest extreme amputee going for summit (May 14, 2004)
Everest daily wrap up: To the summit! (May 14, 2004)
Everest Summit push is on - and this guy is leading the pack! (May 12, 2004)
Everest daily wrap up: Summit bids announced for weekend (May 12, 2004)
Everest daily wrap up: Season's first summit bid begins today! (May 10, 2004)
Hommers torch at Everest 7300m (May 5, 2004)

EverestNews.com
Amputee Sherpa Summits Everest (May 15, 2004)
First Ascent of Mt. Everest Planned by Sherpa Climber-Amputee and his American Friend (May 12, 2004)

Sunday Times--South Africa One-legged man climbs Everest (May 24, 2004)
Independent Online--Cape Town, South Africa
Climbing season starts on crowded Everest (May 16, 2004)

The Himalayan Times--Nepal First ascent to Everest summit in 2004 (May 16, 2004)
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News
B.C. man among dozens who scaled Everest in
climbing season's first weekend (May 30, 2004)
Newspaper Articles
Flag from Carlton VFW close to Mt. Everest summit; Cloquet prosthetic expert waiting for satellite call from summit of world's tallest mountain, The Pine Journal, Minnesota, May 12, 2004 
Of Global Interest Adventure Journal (May 16, 2004)
Carolina Climbers Coalition
AdventureStats.com

Press articles from March and April 2004
ExplorersWeb.com and MountEverest.net A Polish Pole (April 6, 2004)
BasecampMD.com Our camp is blessed (April 6, 2004)
KRON-TV San Francisco Taking Artificial Limbs To New Heights (March 30, 2004)
The Himalayan Times--Nepal Sherpa to scale Everest with prosthetic leg (March 20, 2004)

Press articles from February 2004
The Rising Nepal Sherpa, an amputee, eyes Everest (February 27, 2004)
KRON-TV San Francisco Man To Climb Mt. Everest On One Leg (February 20, 2004)
The State.com--South Carolina
Amputee climber headed for Everest, with help from Duluth-made prostheses (February 17, 2004)
Duluth News Tribune Nepalese climber has high hopes (February 15, 2004)
Expedition Press Release
First Ascent of Mt. Everest Planned by Sherpa Climber-Amputee and American Friend, Joint AMB/Expedition Press Release, February 1, 2004  
ExplorersWeb.com and MountEverest.net
Nawang Sherpa to carry Hommer's torch to Everest summit (Feb 18, 2004)

Press articles from January 2004
Alaska Magazine
Fallen Climber Leaves Legs to Talkeetna Bar Article about Tom Halvorson returning Ed Hommer's prosthetic legs to Talkeetna, Alaska as was his wish (January 2004)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Friendship Beyond Borders Expedition team at our Everest Base Camp

Our American-Nepali expedition is a team of
FRIENDS, BEYOND BORDERS OF CULTURES AND NATIONALITIES

Friends in Nepal...
Climbing Members: Tom McMillan and Nawang Sherpa
Our "dream team" of Cllmbing Sherpas:
Nima Tashi Sherpa, (our Climbing Sirdar and now 8 times Everest summiter), Nima Gombu Sherpa (now 10 times Everest summiter), and Pem Dorjee Sherpa (celebrating his first Everest summit)
Our talented Cook, Pemba Sherpa and his hardworking assistants
Base Camp Managers, Lincoln Else and Tim Roberts
 Public Relations Manager, Linda McMillan
 Our trekking agency friends Mahadev Sharma, and the Staff at Peak Promotion Ltd. of Kathmandu provided guidance and handled all the logistical details. Peak Promotion Director Wongchu Sherpa was at Everest base camp and en route with our team as they reached the summit and descended. He constantly monitored their health and safety, and provided crucial advice to ensure their success.

Friends back in the US...
Nawang's friend Steve Sheridan of Vail, Colorado set things in motion in 2000 when he arranged for Nawang to receive his first prosthetic leg from Walter Racette at UC San Francisco. Nawang's childhood friend Jangbu Sherpa of Colorado Springs has been instrumental in focusing media attention and sponsors to his efforts.
 Another team of friends from THE HIGH EXPOSURE FOUNDATION rallied together to enable Nawang to walk and climb to the summit--Ed Hommer, Tom Halvorson and others from the Minnesota-based organization Learn more about the history of the High Exposure Foundation, and how the late Ed Hommer inspired people with disabilities to pursue their dreams, from a member of the HEF Board of Directors, Ms. Brandy Meadows.

Nawang talking to reporters in Kathmandu after his
return from the summit of Mount Everest, May 2004

Background Information about Ed Hommer
The late Ed Hommer was the first double amputee to reach the summit of Mt. McKinley in June 1999, and he made an attempt on Mt. Everest (from Tibet) in 2001. He met Nawang Sherpa in Kathmandu on his return from Everest, and had intended to make another attempt in 2003 with Nawang, But Ed was tragically killed by rockfall on Mt. Rainier in September of 2002.

But THE HIGH EXPOSURE FOUNDATION, which he created, lives on. Nawang Sherpa's success on Mt. Everest is a testament to the success of the Foundation.

Ed Hommer posing with his friends (left to right) Tom Halvorson, Kelly Raymond (who climbed Denali with Ed in 1999), and Jim Wickwire (who attempted to climb Mt. Everest with Ed in 2001).

 

 

home | contacts | about the Sherpa culture | about Peak Promotion | about Tom Halvorson | about McMillan Associates

© McMillan Associates 2004. All rights reserved.




Nawang Sherpa has achieved his lifetime dream of climbing Mount Everest ...

 

 

 

 

... thanks to the sponsors and supporters of Tom McMillan and the Expedition Team

 

 

 

 

 

Our expedition team climbed the South Col Route on Mt. Everest. This is the route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

Sunday May 16th at 7:45am (Nepali time) the 29,035ft (8848 meters) summit was reached,

The team rejoiced briefly, and then returned to Camp 4 (26,100ft.), The team then descended to Camp 2 (21,300ft.) in the more sheltered Western Cwm. On May 18th they returned to Base Camp (17,600ft.).

They are now backin Kathmandu. Linda McMillan and Lincoln Else returned to California in May. Tom McMillan and Tim Roberts returned to California June 4, 2004.