RIP Sir Edmund Hillary

[Hugh Conway]

May you climb in the mountains and tend bees in the sky

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aQdpjcc3T6ZY&refer=home

[nkane]

This is very sad.

 

We've lost a lot of mountaineering legends recently - Bob Bates, Brad Washburn. Let's hope our younger generation can carry on the same spirit of adventure and respect for the mountains that these pioneers had.

[Weekend_Climberz]

Sad!?! He had an awesome life. The only thing that's sad, is that his family probably feels a bit crummy, to say the least. Celebrate his life, dude :tup:

[rob]

We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us. -- Charles Bukowski

[Off_White]

It's sad, but not tragic. A full life well lived, we should all be so fortunate.

[Bigtree]

"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things — to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals. The intense effort, the giving of everything you've got, is a very pleasant bonus." said Sir Ed.

 

[Couloir]

The thing that is sad is the pathetic mess that Everest has become after his accomplishment.

 

 

[Couloir]

BTW, great quote from Chinaski Rob!

[Jim]

"You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated.” ------Sir Edmund Hillary

[G-spotter]

"The hardest thing about climbing Everest? Getting two inches of dick through eight inches of down." - Sir Ed.

[ivan]

"The hardest thing about climbing Everest? Getting two inches of dick through eight inches of down." - Sir Ed.

i've repeated that one so many goddamn times and i have no clue as to the veracity of the authorship - i always seem to change the inches of dicks'n'pants too...

 

the real story seems to be his philanthropy - how many hardcore FA seekers these days give up on the game to devote themselves to community service? i admire him b/c it's hard to imagine being able to make such a sacrifice meself. i wonder how much he continued to just walk the hills in his later years?

[iluka]

I think that as impressive as his first ascent was, an equally impressive set of accomplishments is all the work he did for the people of Nepal in the years that followed. You cannot go anywhere in the Khumbu Valley without seeing something with his name or the Himalayan Trust on it. Schools, clinics, reforestation efforts... he did a lot with his time and money.

[wfinley]

the real story seems to be his philanthropy - how many hardcore FA seekers these days give up on the game to devote themselves to community service? i admire him b/c it's hard to imagine being able to make such a sacrifice meself.

 

My thoughts exactly! Last year we had the privilege of seeing the school Hillary established in Khumjung. Climbing is by nature truly a self-centered activity. Hillary not only was first up Everest but managed to climb past the boundaries we set against ourselves when deciding that climbing is the most important aspect of life.

 

I hope that when my knees give out or I tire of climbing that I can make a fraction of the difference Hillary did. He was a true hero and the world is emptier without him.

 

Namaste, Sir Hillary. May there be another pole where you go next.

[SeanD25]

Some say he was a maverick, some - that he was a rude westerner who exploited the natives of the region. I posted a poll in his honor here. Take a look: http://pollsb.com/polls/poll/5439/sir-edmund-hillary-first-man-to-reach-the-summit-of-mt-everest-died-at-age-88

[G-spotter]

It's sad, but not tragic. A full life well lived, we should all be so fortunate.

 

Hey OW you got quoted in the New Zealand Herald!

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10486338

[sk]

first i have to say in regard to Sir Hilary,I hope the mountains in the after life offer as many challenges and as much adventure as the ones here on earth.

 

Second, AWSOME QUOTE OFF WHITE!!!xoxooxoxoxoxo

 

Third, rob i liked your quote too... stole it for my YIM for today

 

[tvashtarkatena]

Mt. Cook from the summit of Mt. Olivier, the first peak Sir Edmund ever climbed. It was an honor to share this panorama, however separated by time, with him.

 

[Raindawg]

Some say he was a maverick, some - that he was a rude westerner who exploited the natives of the region. I posted a poll in his honor here. Take a look: http://pollsb.com/polls/poll/5439/sir-edmund-hillary-first-man-to-reach-the-summit-of-mt-everest-died-at-age-88

 

Hey SeanD25...you come out of nowhere with your first post to suggest bad-vibes about the guy. Bugger-off. He was a humble man who gave back. I had the priviledge of meeting Sir Edmund a few years ago....I was awed by his modesty and impressed by his gratitude. Exploited "the natives"? You're full of crap...take your poll and shove it! To the memory of a splendid role model!

 

[tvashtarkatena]

Wow. 68 whole votes on your "honor poll" and counting. Thanks for your invaluable contribution to this forum.

 

Great mountains have their mosquitoes, and great men their armchair critics.

[Raindawg]

Some say he was a maverick, some - that he was a rude westerner who exploited the natives of the region. I posted a poll in his honor here. Take a look: http://pollsb.com/polls/poll/5439/sir-edmund-hillary-first-man-to-reach-the-summit-of-mt-everest-died-at-age-88

 

Check out this news article from today:

Nepal Sherpas Hold Service For Edmund Hillary

 

A quote from some of the "exploited natives":

 

"No one has helped the Khumbu (Everest) area or the Sherpas more than Hillary," said Pasang Lamhu, who runs a small hotel on the route to Everest.

 

"We all owe the development of the area to this one legendary person," he said.

 

"He was a special person who has made an immense contribution to both Sherpas and Nepal. A person like that is born only once and we are all indebted to him," said Nowang Kaji, a Sherpa who summated Everest in 2001.

 

After conquering the world's tallest peak on May 29, 1953, Hillary returned to Nepal several times and founded the Himalayan Trust, which has built 27 schools, two hospitals and 12 clinics around Mount Everest.

 

Thousands of people have benefited from the trust's projects and the Sherpa community reveres Hillary as a result.

 

 

[high_on_rock]

I agree with Dawg. Hillary was a great man, great role model, great adventurer. The world was better with him.

e

[billcoe]

Some say he was a maverick, some - that he was a rude westerner who exploited the natives of the region. I posted a poll in his honor here. Take a look: http://pollsb.com/polls/poll/5439/sir-edmund-hillary-first-man-to-reach-the-summit-of-mt-everest-died-at-age-88

 

I agree with the substance of what Dawg says but not the non-literate and flaming manner of which he said it.

 

The dude stuck around and has arguable single handedly done as much for that country as any other individual in the world, establishing schools and positive trading contacts in the region.

 

I have never heard a single Nepali say anything other than good things about the man either.

 

opps, I need to put this stuff down faster, I just saw that Dawg duplicated my post (and did it first as well!)

Edited January 14, 2008 by billcoe

[AlpineK]

May 29th sure is a good day to celebrate! I was 11 years to late, but it still is a good day and Ed Hillary was a class act.

[tanstaafl]

Got this announcement in my email this morning, thought I'd pass it along:

 

The Northwest Sherpa Association is organizing a memorial service for Late. Sir Edmund Hillary. Sir Edmund Hillary was one of the first persons with Late. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain on the Earth. Sir Edmund Hillary has also been one of the pioneers in helping the Sherpa Community in the Everest Region of Nepal by providing facilities for education, scholarship opportunities, and medical facilities .

 

Late Sir Edmund Hillary (July 20, 1919 – January 11, 2008)

 

The Northwest Sherpa Association is deeply grieved by the sudden demise of Sir Edmund Hillary at the age of 88, on January 11, 2008. Thus, to pay homeage to the departed soul, we have organized the memorial service at Nalanda West Buddhist Monastery. We would like to request the mountaineering community of Seattle to attend the ceremony.

 

 

 

Event information:

 

Date: January 19, 2008

 

Time: 9:00 AM- 10:00 AM

 

Venue: Nalanda West

 

3902 Woodland Park Ave N

 

Seattle, WA, 98103

 

Please arrive by 8:45 am. Tea and Cookies served by the NorthWest Sherpa Association.

 

 

 

 

Thanking you,

 

Sincerely,

 

Northwest Sherpa Association,

 

Seattle , WA

 

[AlpineK]

I went to the memorial service. It was a good event. It started with some chanting and then some Sherpas talked about how much great stuff Ed Hillary did for their people.