Eric Shipton’s 1951 Menlung Glacier footprint photograph

Record summary

During the 1951 reconnaissance expedition to Mount Everest, Eric Shipton photographed a large track in the Menlung Glacier region. The image became one of the most influential visual records in modern Yeti literature and is useful for comparing footprint morphology, photographic framing and expeditionary expectations. The track’s identity remains uncertain: later commentators have proposed an unusual human print, snow deformation or a bear-related explanation. The photograph is identifiable through expedition accounts and reproductions, but interpretations often depend on cropped or retouched versions.