Shipton's yeti footprint photographs
During the 1951 Everest reconnaissance, Eric Shipton and Michael Ward, with Sherpa Sen Tenzing, photographed a trail of large prints in snow near the Menlung Glacier on the edge of the Rolwaling, including a famous close-up beside an ice axe.
1951 CE · 27.98, 86.50 · status: disputed
The account
The close-up shows a broad print about 33 cm long with a large inner toe, and became the most famous image in yeti history. Some later researchers, including Jeff Meldrum, have discussed its anatomy, though Meldrum noted only two photos of a single print exist.
The sceptical view
Melting snow enlarges and distorts tracks of known animals such as bears, langurs or people. Edmund Hillary later called Shipton a joker and suggested he had shaped the print with his knuckles.
The researched reading
The most famous yeti print, photographed by experienced mountaineers. Melt-enlarged animal tracks or a joke by Shipton explain it best.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 50% | Melting and sublimation enlarge and distort tracks in snow; bears, langurs, snow leopards or people can leave prints that become large and human-like within hours of sun. |
| Undetermined | 20% | The share the reading had given to fabrication on doubt rather than evidence: the record does not settle it either way. |
| A cultural story | 12% | The photo was published in the heat of Everest fame, and became the iconic yeti image largely through press and myth. |
| An unknown or out-of-place animal | 6% | Some researchers have seen primate-like anatomy in the close-up, but only two photos of a single print exist. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 5% | Edmund Hillary called Shipton a joker who might have shaped the famous print with his knuckles; the close-up print differs from the trail photo. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 5% | Expectation of a yeti shaped interpretation of an unusual track. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 2% | Footprints require only an animal or a person. |
Official position: No official investigation; most researchers attribute the print to melted tracks of a known animal or to a prank.
Connections in the atlas
- 'Abominable snowman' tracks on the Lhakpa La
- The Khumjung yeti scalp
- John Hunt's tracks at the Zemu Gap
- Daniel Taylor's 'tree bear' tracks in the Barun Valley
- Yeti