(Left) Norgay, Hillary

Kathmandu, Sept. 6 (Reuters): Nepal plans to name two Himalayan peaks after pioneering Mount Everest climbers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

New Zealander Hillary and his Nepali guide Tenzing made it to the 8,848-metre summit of the world’s highest mountain on May 29, 1953, as part of a British expedition.

A government panel has recommended that two unnamed mountains be called Hillary Peak and Tenzing Peak, said Ang Tshering Sherpa, a former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

“This is to honour their contribution to mountaineering in Nepal,” Sherpa, who headed the panel, said.

The two peaks — Hillary’s at 7,681m and Tenzing’s at 7,916m — have never been climbed and are expected to be opened to foreigners in the spring season that starts in March, he said.

Officials hope the peaks will attract more climbers and help boost tourism in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains. Tourism now accounts for about 4 per cent of the country’s economy.

Hillary died in 2008 at age 88 and Tenzing died in 1986 at age 72. Climbers in their time lacked the specialised equipment taken for granted nowadays.