Edmund Hillary’s exploits are probably the envy among adventurers considering his achievements in the field of outdoor exploration. Best known as the first person to ever summit Mount Everest alongside Tenzing Norgay, Edmund’s exploits did not stop there. After his famous expedition in 1953, he led several other expeditions where he also pioneered.
Edmund was born on July 20, 1919, in Auckland, New Zealand. During his teens, he started gaining interest in mountain climbing after a school trip to a mountain and he built the physique and endurance for hiking. While completing his major in Auckland, Edmund also mountains. In 1939, he completed his first major one and reached the peak of Mount Ollivier in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. He also joined a tramping club where he further developed his love for nature.
World War II broke and Edmund decided to join the Royal New Zealand Air Force, although he later withdrew his application for religious reasons. He did, later on, joined RNZAF when the Japanese forces threatened the Pacific. He worked as a navigator for Squadron No. 6 and No. 5 and he was later on deployed in Fiji and Solomon Islands before he went back to New Zealand after sustaining burns in an accident.
Edmund continued scaling mountains and in January 1948, they reached New Zealand’s highest peak, Mount Cook or Aoraki Mountain. The expedition was led by Harry Ayres and Mick Sullivan. Prior to his successful summit of Mount Everest, he joined a British team to survey it in 1951. The reconnaissance team was led by Eric Shipton and in 1952, Edmund joined another expedition to Cho Oyu, which was also led by Eric. However, it was a failed attempt as there was no route on the side of Nepal and the team had to cross Nup La to get to Tibet.
During that time, the route to Mount Everest along Tibet was closed as it was controlled by the Chinese government. The other side, which was Nepal, only permitted one expedition every year. Tenzing, who was with Edmund in the successful 1953 expedition, already attempted to climb the highest mountain range in 1952 although it was unsuccessful due to bad weather and exhaustion. While on a trip to the Alps, Edmund and his friend George Lowe were invited to join the approved British team expedition for 1953. The pair immediately accepted the invitation from the Joint Himalayan Committee.
As the teams were identified, Edmund was partnered with Tenzing rather than George. The expedition had a total of 400 people with twenty Sherpa guides, 362 porters and more than 10,000 lbs of luggage. Edmund and Tenzing made their way through the Khumbu Icefall. On May 28, 1953, after a failed attempt to climb the South Col by May Bourdillon, Edmund and Tenzing were directed to go for it. The pair set out on that day with support from George Lowe’s team.
On May 29 at 11:30am, the pair successfully reached the highest point on earth. A part of the route was named “Hillary Step” later on. This rocky 4-feet rock face part of their final ascent was successfully scaled by Edmund and Tenzing. Although Edmund reported that the pair reached the peak at the same time, Tenzing said that Edmund was indeed the first man to step on the top of Mount Everest. The duo stayed for 15 minutes with Tenzing leaving chocolates and Edmund a cross given to him by John Hunt.
Soon after, news of their expedition reached Britain on the same day as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Their success was considered by the British as a “coronation gift” to the young queen. Upon their return, the members of the expedition team were given the Queen’s coronation medal. Both Edmund and John Hunt were also appointed as Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. Tenzing, who was a Nepalese citizen was given the George Medal as a way to recognize his efforts. The Kingdom of Nepal also awarded Edmund the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu, 1st Class.
Edmund’s adventures did not end there and he continued to climb other peaks within the Himalaya range. In 1958, he led the New Zealand team to the South Pole during the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Edmund’s team was the first to reach the Pole using motor vehicles overland and for this expedition, he received the Polar Medal.
In 1977, he led another expedition. This time, it was on a jet boat, tracing the Ganges River from its mouth to its source. From 1977 to 1979, Edmund was part of the Antarctic sightseeing flights as a commentator. He almost had his brush with death when his supposed flight on Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed towards Mount Erebus. However, he pulled out earlier from the flight because of his scheduled commitments in the United States.
Apart from climbing mountains, Edmund was also active in politics. In 1985, he became the High Commissioner of New Zealand to India, while also holding a position as Ambassador to Nepal and High Commissioner to Bangladesh. He stayed in New Delhi for four and a half years. It was also during 1985 that he went with Neil Armstrong on a ski-plane expedition. The duo crossed the Arctic Ocean and then landed at the North Pole. With this, Edmund Hillary was the first man to have reached the South Pole and the North Pole as well as the highest peak of Everest.
On February 1987, he became the fourth appointee to the Order of New Zealand. In 1992, Edmund became the first and only New Zealander to appear on a bank note. In 1953, he became an honorary citizen of Nepal as conferred by the Nepalese Government during the 50th anniversary of the successful expedition.
On January 11, 2008, Edmund’s adventures came to an end. He died at the Auckland City Hospital due to heart failure. On his death, all Government and public buildings lowered their flags to a half-mast. The practice was also observed at Antarctica’s Scott Base. The Government of India also conferred him posthumously with the Padma Vibhushan, recognizing him as its second highest civilian.
