After Hillary and Norgay’s great success, other climbers also tried to get to the top of Everest; some succeeded and some failed. In May 1963, the first American expedition reached the summit. This is the story of two of those Americans and their breathless climb to the highest point on Earth.

Climbers on Everest must carefully cross deep rifts in the ice called crevasses, and watch for unstable snow that can cause avalanches.