Climber and traveler Edmund Hillary: brief biography, achievements

In New Zealand, seven years ago, in 2008, Sir Edmund Hillary died, the first man to conquer Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Today E. Hillary is the most famous resident of New Zealand, and not only thanks to the legendary ascent. He was actively engaged in charitable activities. Edmund Hillary devoted many years of his life to improving the living conditions of Nepalese Sherpas. Representatives of this Himalayan people often acted as porters in mountaineer detachments. Edmund Hillary founded the Himalayan Foundation, through which he carried out his assistance. Thanks to his actions in Nepal, many hospitals and schools were built. However, the most famous act of Edmund is still the famous ascent to Everest.

Mount Everest

Jomolungma (Everest) is the highest peak of the Himalayas and the whole world. Its height is 8848 m above sea level. The inhabitants of Tibet call it "Mother - the goddess of the world", and the Nepalese - "Lord of the world." Everest is on the border of Tibet and Nepal.

More than a century ago, this peak attracted the attention of surveyors. George Everest became the first of them. It was his name that was later appropriated to the top. As early as 1893, the first plan of ascent was developed, and the first attempt to implement it was undertaken in 1921. However, it took more than 30 years, as well as the bitter experience of 13 unsuccessful ascents in order to finally conquer Everest.

Briefly about Edmund Hillary

Edmund Hillary was born in 1919 in the city of Oakland (New Zealand). He had a good imagination since childhood, he was attracted by adventure stories. From an early age, Edmund helped his father in the beekeeping business, and after graduation began to work with him. He was still in high school climbing. The first major climb Edmund accomplished in 1939, climbing to the top of Mount Olivier, which is in New Zealand. Hillary served during the Second World War as a military pilot. Prior to his ascension in 1953, he participated in the 1951 reconnaissance expedition, as well as in an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho Oyu, which is considered the 6th highest mountain in the world. In 1958 Edmund joined the expedition of the British Commonwealth to the South Pole, and a little later went to the North Pole.

May 29, 1953, together with Sherp Tenzing Norgay, a resident of the south of Nepal, he made the famous ascent to Everest. Let's talk more about it.

The way to the Everest

At that time, the road to Everest was closed by Tibet, which was under the rule of China. In turn, Nepal only allowed one expedition per year. In 1952 the Swiss expedition, in which, incidentally, Tenzing participated, made an attempt to reach the summit. However, the weather conditions did not allow the implementation of the plan. Expedition had to turn back just 240 meters from the goal.

Sir Edmund Hillary in 1952 made a trip to the Alps. During it, he learned that he and George Lowe, Edmund's friend, had been invited to participate in a British expedition. It should take place in 1953. Of course, the mountaineer and traveler Edmund Hillary immediately agreed.

Formation of the expedition and its composition

First, the leader of the expedition appointed Shipton, but Hunt quickly took his place. Hillary was already thinking about giving up, but Hunt and Shipton managed to convince the New Zealand mountaineer to stay. The fact is that Edmund wanted to go to Everest with Lowie, but Hunt formed two teams to storm the mountain. Tom Burdillon was to be paired with Charles Evans, and the second pair - Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. Edmund from this moment in every possible way tried to make friends with his partner.

The expedition of Hunt in total numbered 400 people. In its composition were included 362 porters and 20 conductors-Sherpas. The team carried around 10 thousand pounds of luggage.

Preparation for the ascent, the first attempt to climb to the top

Preparation for climbing Mount Lhotse took up Lowie. In turn, Hillary paved the path through Kumbu, a rather dangerous glacier. The expedition founded its main camp in March 1953. Mountaineers, working rather slowly, broke a new camp at an altitude of 7,890 m. Evans and Bourdillon attempted to climb the mountain on May 26, but Evans suddenly had a failure of the oxygen supply system, so they had to return. They managed to get to the South Summit, separated from the summit of Everest only 91 meters (vertically). Hunt followed Tenzing and Hillary.

The way to the top of Edmund Hillary, conquest of Everest

Because of the wind and snow, the alpinists had to wait two days in the camp. Only on May 28 they were able to speak. Louie, Ang Nyima and Alfred Gregory supported them. The pair broke a tent at an altitude of 8.5 thousand meters, after which the support trio returned back to their camp. The next morning Edmund Hillary discovered that his shoes were frozen outside the tent. I had to spend two hours to warm it up. Edmund and Tenzing, having solved this problem, went further.

The forty-meter-high wall was the most difficult stage of the ascent. Later it became known as Hillary's Step. Edmund found the cracks between the ice and the rock climbers climbed up. From here it was no longer difficult to move on. At 11.30 am, Norgay and Hillary stood on top.

At the top, the return journey

At the peak they spent only 15 minutes. For a while he took up the search for traces of his stay at the top of the expedition of 1924, at the head of which was Mallory. It is known that its participants died when trying to climb Everest. However, according to numerous studies, this happened already at the descent. Whatever it was, and to this day it was not possible to find out whether they reached the summit. Hillary and Tenzing have not found any traces. Edmund photographed on top of the posing with the ice ax Tenzing (Norgay never used the camera, so there was no evidence of Hillary's ascent). Edmund left a cross in the snow before leaving, and Tenzing - a few chocolates (a sacrifice to the gods). Mountaineers, after making a few photos that confirmed the fact of the ascent, began to descend. Unfortunately, their tracks were completely swept up by the snow masses, so it was not easy to return by the same road. Louie was the first person to meet them on the way down. He treated them with hot soup.

Awards

News about the conquest of Mount Everest reached Britain on the day of the coronation of Elizabeth II. The achievement of climbers was immediately called a gift for this holiday. Mountaineers, arriving in Kathmandu, received a completely unexpected recognition at the international level. Hillary and Hunt received knightly titles, and Norgay was awarded a medal of the British Empire. It is assumed that Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, rejected the offer to give Tenzing the knighthood. In 2003, when the 50th anniversary of Hillary's ascension to Everest was celebrated, he was awarded one more title. Edmund deservedly became an honorary citizen of Nepal.

Death of Hillary

Edmund Hillary, a brief biography of the subsequent years of which was presented above, after Everest continued to travel around the globe, conquered both poles and a series of Himalayan peaks, and also engaged in charity. In 2008, on January 11, he died in a hospital in Auckland City from a heart attack, reaching the age of 88. Helen Clark, the prime minister of his native New Zealand, officially announced the death of the traveler. She also said that his death was a great loss for the country.