Team Geared Up

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Geared Up Blog) - Sir Edmund Hillary passed away aged 88 today. He needs no introduction as one of the most famous people in mountaineering history. I hope he will be remembered not only for being part of the first team to summit Everest but also for all the charity work he has carried out in the area to try and improve the lives of the sherpas. I’m sure he will be missed greatly by all those who know him.

After returning from the summit, which was announced in The Times on the morning of the coronation of Elizabeth II, the climber famously greeted a fellow expedition member with the phrase: “Well, George, we’ve knocked the bastard off.”

Helen Clark, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, described his passing as a profound loss. She said: “Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only ‘knocked off’ Everest but lived a life of determination, humility and generosity.”

-Eoinod-