Edmund Hillary's ashes heading for Nepal

Climb to honor mountaineer will set new record

KATHMANDU - One of the world's top mountaineers left Kathmandu Tuesday on an expedition to Qomolangma, where he will scatter the ashes of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to stand on the summit.

Apa Sherpa, who has scaled Qomolangma - also known as Mount Everest in the West - a record 19 times, said he wanted to honor Hillary's contribution to the Sherpa communities that inhabit Nepal's eastern Himalayas, where the world's highest mountain is located.