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Edmund Hillary, along with Sherpa Tenzig Norgay, were the first to summit of Mt. Everest on May 29, 1953. Hillary describes the climb in his book “High Adventure“. An unpretentious adventurer, Hillary was the first man to stand at both north and south poles as well as at the summit of Everest. He wrote 13 books in his lifetime and was a champion for conservation efforts.
Besides writing and lecturing, he formed the Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust, a foundation that has raised millions of dollars to build schools, hospitals, clinics and other facilities for the Sherpa villages in Nepal. Hillary lamented the commercialism of recent expeditions, expressing his criticism at the 50th anniversary of his climb in 2003.
Manhattan Public Library owns several books and videos about ascents of Everest and mountaineering–if you are interested in reading about Hillary, Everest or climbing, check our catalog for titles or ask at Reference.
And don’t forget–tomorrow (Tues. Jan. 22 at 7pm) is a discussion of Jon Krakauer’s gripping account of the disastrous Everest climbing season in 1996, “Into Thin Air“. Join That Book Club for Men for the discussion!