Why is edmund hillary called sir

On such expeditions the leader tends to designate the summit pairs quite late during the expedition, when he sees how everybody is performing.

But never again would the stakes be quite so high. By the spring of , the ascent of the world's highest mountain was beginning to seem inevitable. First attempted in by the British, Everest had repulsed at least ten major expeditions and two lunatic solo attempts.

With the discovery of a southern approach to the mountain in newly opened Nepal, and the first ascent of the treacherous Khumbu Icefall the following year, what would come to be known by the s as the "yellow brick road" to the summit had been identified. At first it seemed the Swiss would claim the prize.

In a strong Swiss team that included legendary alpinist Raymond Lambert had pioneered the route up the steep Lhotse Face and reached the South Col. From that high, broad saddle, Lambert and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay then pushed all the way to 28, feet 8, meters on the Southeast Ridge before turning back—probably as high as anyone had ever stood on Earth. Now the British were determined to bring every possible advantage to their spring offensive—including hiring Tenzing, 38, as their lead Sherpa, or sirdar.

Earlier British expeditions, though impressive in their accomplishments, were often charmingly informal in style. Hunt's intricately planned assault, on the other hand, was all business. From the start, the year-old beekeeper Edmund Hillary not yet Sir Edmund was a strong contender for one of the summit slots. The heavily glaciated peaks of his native New Zealand had proved a perfect training ground for the Himalaya. Hillary earned respect early in the expedition by leading the team that forced a route through the Khumbu Icefall.

Still, logistical snafus, the failure of a number of stalwarts to acclimatize, and problems with some of the experimental oxygen sets stalled the expedition badly. The team took a troubling 12 days to retrace the Swiss route on the Lhotse Face in part, perhaps, because the British were not as experienced on difficult ice. In despair, Hunt began to wonder whether his party would even reach the South Col.

The expedition finally gained the col—the vital staging area for a summit push—on May This was late enough to be worrisome, for the monsoon, whose heavy snows would prohibit climbing, could arrive as early as June 1. Because they became the first men to reach the summit of Everest, Hillary and Tenzing would earn a celebrity that has scarcely faded in 50 years. Who today remembers Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans?

Yet Hunt's plan called for Bourdillon, a former president of the Oxford Mountaineering Club, and Evans, a brain surgeon, to make the first summit bid. Despite a relatively late start and problems with Evans's oxygen set, Bourdillon and Evans crested the South Summit—at 28, feet 8, meters , only feet meters short of the top—by 1 p. But Evans was exhausted, and both men knew they would run out of oxygen if they went on.

They agreed to turn back. Says Michael Westmacott, Bourdillon's closest friend on the team: "It was a decision Tom always regretted. So it was that three days later Hillary and Tenzing set out for the top. Their pairing was hardly an accident. It took seven weeks to go from base camp to the top, but only three days coming down.

Question: How many pounds of food did you take? What kind of food did you eat? Answer: High on the mountain, food is repugnant and you have to make yourself eat. Question: How did you feel when you reached the top of Everest? Were you able to see anything? What did the world look like from up there? Answer: On the summit of Everest I had a feeling of great satisfaction to be first there. Question: How does it feel to be called "Sir"? What was it like being knighted? That must be really cool.

Answer: Becoming a "Sir" is slightly uncomfortable at first although it is a considerable honor. It is amazing how quickly you become accustomed to it. He did the same up the Ganges, from its mouth to its source in the Himalayas, in In , Hillary and astronaut Neil Armstrong flew a small twin-engine plane to the North Pole, making Hillary the first person to stand at both poles and the summit of Everest, also known as the "third pole.

Hillary, who had been cited as "New Zealand's most trusted individual," died on January 11, , in Auckland. Flags were lowered to half-staff.

Despite all his success and acclaim as an adventurer and author, Hillary was always described as a humble man. He suffered a devastating loss when his wife and youngest daughter were killed in a plane crash in Devoted to helping the Sherpa people, Hillary founded the Himalayan Trust, which built schools, hospitals and transportation hubs in Nepal. Hillary wrote that he was proud that he and his team just didn't go in and tell the Nepalese what they needed: "We always responded to the wishes of the local people.

Various geographic regions bear Hillary's name, and the New Zealand five-dollar note features his image. Time magazine listed him as one of the most influential people of the 20th century.

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