Earl Denman

Earl Lionel Denman (1914-1994) was a Canadian mountaineer and engineer who attempted to climb Mount Everest in 1947. but grew up in England. He was a Canadian mountaineer who attempted to climb Mount Everest in 1947.

Everest 1947 His illegal attempt was very different from the large-scale efforts by British mountaineers around the same time. He had little experience, having only climbed the smaller Virunga Mountains in East Africa before this expedition. He did not have much money, equipment, or fuel, and entered Tibet without permission. In Darjeeling he happened to pass a shop window in which was displayed some photographs of snow-capped mountains and noticed that the name of the shop's proprietor was familiar to him from Everest books he had read, in so doing he had stumbled upon a way of meeting Karma Paul who had provided support for six major expeditions which had travelled to Tibetan side of Everest. Because of the experience with Maurice Wilson, an earlier solo traveller to Everest, Karma Paul was unwilling to help Denman but he did put him in touch with the two sherpas who were willing to accompany him.

The two Sherpas were Tenzing Norgay, later to make the first ascent of Everest and Ang Dawa. Norgay later said that he knew Denman had little chance of succeeding, but that he agreed to join Denman because "the pull of Everest was stronger for me than any force on earth." They reached about of the roughly mountain before a storm compelled them to abort the attempt and turn back.

After Everest Denman tried to return to Everest in 1948, Later he fought Apartheid in South Africa,