Edmund Hillary and a Sherpa from his 1953 Everest expedition led a colourful procession through the Nepalese capital today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their conquest of the world’s tallest mountain.

Storms forced more than 100 climbers to retreat from the south face of Mount Everest today, amid celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the first conquest of the world’s highest peak.

A group of Chinese climbers who conquered Mount Everest beamed the first live television pictures from the summit today.

Strong winds and deteriorating weather thwarted attempts today by more than 100 climbers to scale 29,035ft Mount Everest.

The SARS outbreak is keeping many Mount Everest climbers away from a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the conquest of the world’s highest mountain.