RIP Sir Edmund Hillary

[caddyman]

Sad to see that Sir Edmund Hillary has passed away aged 88.

Hillary, of course, is officially the first man to reach the summit of Everest, which feat he completed with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, on 29 May 1953, just in time for news to hit the UK alongside the Queen’s coronation.

There has been doubt cast on whether he was actually first up the mountain, in the years since. Some say that Tenzing reached the summit first and others claim that Mallory made the ascent in the 1920s.

Since Mallory died on the mountain and no flag was found up on the summit, and given that Tenzing has never claimed otherwise (to my knowledge), Hillary was first to the top. In any case, the man was a twentieth century hero by any measure.

Returning to Everest base camp, he famously greeted another member of the British expedition group with the words: "Well, George, we've knocked the bastard off."

His Himalayan Trust has helped build hospitals, clinics, bridges, airstrips and nearly 30 schools. He was made an honorary Nepalese citizen in 2003.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7182376.stm

Edited to add: As I mentioned to fencingsculptor, if George Mallory did indeed get to the summit in 1924, when Hillary passes through the Pearly Gates, he will be greeted with the comment "That's twice I've beaten you to the top."

Comments

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

Do the Mallory meets Hillary at the pearly gates.... !

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

There you go...

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

I think that's very funny and actually made me smile about what was otherwise a v sad news story.