Hillary's ashes will not be scattered on Everest. Photo: Sotti CC-BY-SA-3.0

The remains of the first man to climb the world’s highest mountain will not now be scattered on its summit.

Everest is sacred to the Sherpa people and scattering Sir Edmund Hillary’s ashes on the peak would go against their culture and tradition, according to a civic leader.

Record-holding Everest summiteer Apa Sherpa had planned to release the New Zealand mountaineer’s ashes on the mountain during his attempt next month to climb the 8,484m (29,029ft) mountain for the 20th time.

Now, according to Reuters, Sir Edmund’s remains will be kept at a memorial near the mountain. He had expressed a wish before his death at the age of 88 two years ago for his ashes to be scattered partly at sea in Auckland harbour and partly on Everest. Along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, Hillary was the first to summit the mountain in 1953.

Ang Tenzing Sherpa of the Khumbu Civil Society said scattering his ashes would be inauspicious.

The plan now is for the mountaineer’s remains to be kept at a memorial for the golden jubilee of the first school Hillary opened in Khumjung next year. Hillary was a strong supporter of the Sherpa communities in the area during his later life.