Nawang Gombu | Sherpa mountaineer, 79

Sherpa mountaineer Nawang Gombu, 79, the youngest on Sir Edmund Hillary's climbing team that first scaled Mount Everest in 1953, died Sunday at his home in Darjeeling, India, at the foot of the Himalayas.

The first person to summit Everest twice, Mr. Gombu was considered one of the last of the so-called Tigers of the Snow - a small group of Sherpa mountaineers who scaled the Himalayas to bring fame and prestige to their ethnic community that originates from the mountains of eastern Tibet and Nepal.

Known for their hardiness, expert knowledge, and unwillingness to leave any man behind, the Sherpa mountaineers formed the backbone of India's Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and trekking industry based in Darjeeling. Among the Sherpas, many of the highest mountains were worshiped as gods.

Mr. Gombu was about 21 when he joined his uncle Tenzing Norgay and Hillary on the famous 1953 expedition, but he did not reach the top of the world's highest mountain until 10 years later, when he guided the first American expedition led by Jim Whittaker to the summit.

Mr. Gombu achieved fame two years later as the first to summit Everest twice, guiding an Indian team to the top. - AP