Peter Hillary’s Love of Mountaineering
When Rebecca Gibian first emailed Peter Hillary about an interview, he replied saying that he was currently at 16,000 feet in the Himalayans, but would get back to her when he returned to New Zealand. Once he did, he spoke to her about his lifelong love affair with climbing. Gibian reports for online platform Real Clear Life.
Hillary’s “first real climb was completed when he was only 10 years old, with his father, Sir Edmund Hillary.”
“Edmund, along with his climbing partner, Tenzing Norgay, were the first people to summit Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world at 29,029 feet”.
“Since that first climb at 10 years old, Peter Hillary has been smitten with mountaineering. He said the most important aspect of climbing is that you experience the full spectrum of intense emotion”, writes Gibian.
“You do wonder why you’re doing it, but that happens for just about anything of the best things we do,” said Hillary, who completed the Seven Summits, climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, in 2008. “They’re difficult and challenging and you push yourself beyond certain limits and that’s part of the draw.”
“Mountaineering is no easy feat, though, especially when it comes to Everest. More than 4,000 people have scaled the summit since Edmund conquered it, but 288 people have died in the attempt,” reports the article.
“Peter Hillary first summited Everest in 1990. That summit meant that the Hillarys became the first family with two generations of Everest climbers. He climbed it again in 2002 to celebrate his father’s first ascent.”
“You really do start to understand where [my father] went, what he did, and what’s involved,” said Hillary. “Even though I’ve climbed it and been on five expeditions, we knew the mountain could be climbed. That was a question mark when he did it. They really broke down that barrier.”
“Hillary has followed in his father’s footsteps in more than just mountaineering. Edmund Hillary devoted much of his life to philanthropy” and he founded the Himalayan Trust in 1960, a nonprofit dedicated to helping reduce poverty and strengthen communities in the Everest region.”
“Peter Hillary says he loves going back to the same places year after year and seeing the changes that his family’s foundation have helped create.”
He also emphasized the importance of philanthropy and giving back. “For the Hillarys, part of that diversified portfolio includes a new clothing line that will be a range of heritage-inspired pieces based around Edmund Hillary’s personal style during his first ascent of Everest.”
When asked about his love for mountaineering, Hillary said:
“I think the big thing about mountaineering is it’s basically 95 percent mental. It’s about your attitude and your desire to get out there. Anything in life is about having a real desire.”
Article Source: Real Clear Life, Rebecca Gibian, May 29, 2018
Image Source: PeterHillary.com
