28 May 2003

On 29 May 1953, Edmund Hillary and Norgay Tensing made the first (recorded) ascent of Mount Everest - the highest mountain on the planet.

Fifty years later more than 1100 climbers have reached the top of Everest and one, Apa Sherpa, has been there 12 times. In 1953, it took John Hunt's expedition more than six weeks to pioneer the route from Base Camp to summit; in 2000, Sherpa Babu Chiri climbed it solo and without oxygen, in four minutes less than 17 hours.

Photograph: AP

The mountain has been descended by ski, snowboard and paraglider and flown over in hot air balloons.

The British have always been at the forefront of mountaineering and the Alpine Club was founded in 1857. Many of the original climbers were public school boys, and some have suggested that public school life was so bleak, brutal and harsh that it was good preparation for climbing a mountain or crossing a desert.

But the first expeditions to Everest in the 20s were far from 'brutal' as groups allowed themselves Base Camp luxuries such as vintage champagne, tinned quails, truffles and crystallised ginger from Fortnum and Mason.

"The authentic Englishman," wrote Stephen, "is one whose delight is to wander all day amongst rocks and snow; and to come as near breaking his neck as conscience will allow."

It was only as equipment, training and technique improved that ascents could be really taken to the limits. When Reinhold Messner, the great Tyrolean mountaineer, climbed the north face on his own, without support and without oxygen in 1980, he carried all he needed - lightweight tent, sleeping bag, stove and basic rations.

Now the climbing of Everest remains an ambiguity. Yes, to reach the highest point on our planet is a fantastic achievement, but at what cost? This year there will as many expeditions as in the first 20 years since 1953; Base Camp is a growing environmental disaster with discarded junk strewn around it; Hillary himself claims "It's all bullshit on Everest these days."

But while the perspective has changed, the mountain remains the same. As George Mallory (who died during the first attempt in 1924) wrote:

"If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself, upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life."

Find out more about Everest on The Guardian's excellent Special Report

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