The First person to Climb Mount Everest: Sir Edmund Hillary
‘Climbing Everest’ is a phrase often used to mean an almost impossible task. The thought of climbing up to 29,000 ft in the most extreme weather conditions, terrain and air quality, is something most people consider completely impossible. In 1952 Everest was in fact unconquered; no-one had ever found an accessible route to the top and lived to tell the tale. The first attempts from 1922 onwards showed the mountain to hold many dangers, including avalanches, snow storms, freezing conditions and poor choice of routes meaning climbers could go no further. To be the person attempting to climb, knowing many people had died trying, must have been a terrifying thought as you first step onto the mountain, but unlike the many whose mistakes he had learnt from, Edmund Hillary was the very first person to climb to the dizzy heights at the peak of Everest.
Mount Everest has always been extremely difficult to climb. There are dangers that people do not realise when they decide to make the treacherous journey. First of all there is the extreme cold weather that climbers have to deal with when making any sort of climb up Mount Everest. Then there is the problem of mountain sickness, which in mild form can cause slight headaches and irregular breathing but in its acute form can cause dizziness, vomiting, loss of balance and persistent coughing. This is serious enough to require medical attention. The most dangerous factor in climbing any mountain and the highest one in particular is High Altitude Cerebral Edema. This is a condition when fluid enters a climber’s lungs and brain and requires rapid descent and immediate medical attention. Climbing Everest has another very dangerous aspect to it which people often overlook. There is a death zone which is above 8000 metres and most climbers who die on the mountain do so because of this particular area which is very difficult to climb down. Most of the deaths that take place happen when a climber is in descent as opposed to climbing up the mountain.
Being the first person ever to climb the seemingly insurmountable Everest made the name Edmund Hillary renowned all over the world. Hillary and his team, which included the amazing Nepalese climber Tenzing Norgay, climbed their way to fame for being the first to climb Mount Everest in May of 1953. Hillary was born and raised in New Zealand, and had dreamed of becoming a mountaineer since the age of 12. For such a brave man, Hillary was actually renowned for being very shy, even getting his future mother-in-law to propose on his behalf. He was actually a beekeeper by profession before turning into an explorer. He joined two Everest reconnaissance expeditions in 1951 and 1952 before making his successful climb. In May of 1953 Hillary and his expedition reached the South Peak of the mountain before all of his crew turned back except for himself and Tenzing Norgay. It was these two that reached the summit at 11:30am on the 29th of May 1953. Even more treacherous than the climb up was the climb down for the two men. Upon their successful descent, Hillary was knighted for his services to exploration and became Sir Edmund Hillary.
Hillary managed to pursue many more exploration expeditions around the world but he became more concerned with the welfare of the Nepalese people and the environmental degradation of Mount Everest. Towards the later years of his life he dedicated himself and all of his time to helping protect the natural beauty of the mountain he conquered and aiding the Nepalese people who lived in its shadow.
For many of us, even with today’s climbing technology and knowhow, a trip up Everest is beyond our stamina and capabilities. The cost alone is very great and people have to be extremely physically fit to conquer the fierce mountain. It is a wonder then that so many years ago a team of intrepid explorers led by one brave man made the trip up the mountain without the aid of modern equipment and with only their climbing skills and bravery to guide them. For this reason and many more, Sir Edmund Hillary has become a hero and an inspiration to so many people around the world.
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