Western Cwm, Mount Everest Photograph by Cory Richards, National GeographicAt dawn, a sliver of moon shines above the Western Cwm.
Half Dome, Yosemite National Park Photograph by Jimmy Chin, National GeographicAlex Honnold takes on the third zigzag of Half Dome without a rope. He has just one more difficult section, or pitch, in the last three before reaching the summit.
Sunset, Mount Everest Photograph by Cory Richards, National GeographicThe sun sets over the west shoulder of Mount Everest (right) and Mount Nuptse.
→ Everest Climbing Gear—Then and Now

This spring en route to Mount Everest, Hilaree O’Neill, 39, a ski-mountaineer from Colorado who is part of our 2012 Everest expedition which will be covered live in the National Geographic iPad app, will trek the same valleys and work up to Base Camp just as Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay did 59 years ago when the duo claimed the first ascent. But on the mountain, fortunately, O’Neill will not be using the antiquated gear—think woolen suits and wood-handled ice axes—that Hillary hauled. In this gallery, we take a look at the equipment Hillary and Norgay used in 1953 and the high-tech gear O’Neill will use to climb the world’s tallest peak in 2012. —Stephen Regenold

Snake River, Wyoming Photograph by Michael Melford, National GeographicSnake River Headwaters Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming 387.5 miles protected since 2009 Download Wallpaper (1600 x 1200 pixels)
Iliamna Volcano, Alaska Photograph by Michael Melford, National GeographicClouds scrape by the snow-covered Iliamna Volcano, which last erupted before Europeans settled in the area. Download Wallpaper (1600 x 1200 pixels)