Yeti

[Justin]

Just how abominable is the yeti?

[James]

The name Abominable Snowman was coined for the mythical yeti by Shipton's expedition to Mount Everest in 1951. The expedition found a track on the Menlung Glacier between Tibet and Nepal, at an altitude of 19,700ft. The footprints they saw were 13in by 18in and made by a foot of five toes and the inner ones larger than the others. The track appeared fresh. The adventurers took many photographs. Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Everest for the first time on Coronation Day in 1953, also saw yeti prints. The beast is known to Nepalese people as a 'rakshasa', Sanskrit for 'demon' and it has been seen regularly since 1832. Yeti, its general name, means 'magical creature'. According to legend, there are three species: the Rimi (8ft tall), the Nyalmot (15ft) and the Raksi-Bombo (5ft). The yeti is either reddish or grey, smells terrible and it is very strong.