A great white man has died

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BBC NEWS

Everest hero Edmund Hillary dies

Sir Edmund Hillary was made an honorary Nepalese citizen

Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb the world's highest

mountain, Mount Everest, has died aged 88.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark described the explorer as a

heroic figure and said all New Zealanders would deeply mourn his

passing.

Sir Edmund's health had reportedly been in decline since April, when

he suffered a fall while visiting Nepal.

He was the first man to climb the 8,850m (29,035ft) peak with Sherpa

Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953.

Returning to Everest base camp, he famously greeted another member of

the British expedition group with the words: "Well, George, we've

knocked the bastard off."

After the ascent, Sir Edmund led a number of expeditions to the South

Pole and devoted his life to helping the Sherpas of Nepal's Khumbu

region.

His Himalayan Trust has helped build hospitals, clinics, bridges,

airstrips and nearly 30 schools. He was made an honorary Nepalese

citizen in 2003.

'Quintessential Kiwi'

Announcing Sir Edmund's death in Auckland after a brief illness, New

Zealand's prime minister described him as a "heroic figure who not

only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility

and generosity".

He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived

a life of determination, humility and generosity

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark

"The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-

known New Zealander ever to have lived," Ms Clark said in a statement.

"But most of all he was a quintessential Kiwi."

"He was ours - from his craggy appearance to laconic style to his

directness and honesty. All New Zealanders will deeply mourn his

passing."

Ms Clark said Sir Edmund's exploits would "continue to inspire new

generations of New Zealanders, as they have for more than half a

century already".

The BBC's Greg Ward in Auckland says Sir Edmund was arguably the most

respected man in New Zealand.

His death has prompted an immediate outpouring of sympathy, with

messages of condolences flooding in from around the globe, our

correspondent says.

Race to the summit

The British adventurer and environmentalist, Pen Hadow, said Sir

Edmund's death "closes one of the great chapters of planetary

exploration".

"He was physically and metaphorically at the pinnacle of high

adventure," the Dartmoor-based Arctic and Antarctic explorer told the

Press Association.

Born in Auckland 19 July 1919, Sir Edmund began climbing mountains in

his native country as a teenager and soon earned renown as an ice

climber.

To my great delight I realised we were on top of Mount Everest and

that the whole world spread out below us

Sir Edmund Hillary

By the time he attempted his ascent of Everest in 1953 as part of an

expedition led by the British climber, Sir John Hunt, seven previous

expeditions to the top of the mountain had failed.

After a gruelling climb up the southern face, all but two climbers

were defeated by exhaustion and the effects of high altitude and bad

weather.

Only Sir Edmund and Tenzing Norgay were able to continue and

successfully reached the peak at 1130 local time on 29 May at the

second attempt.

"I continued hacking steps along the ridge and then up a few more to

the right... to my great delight I realised we were on top of Mount

Everest and that the whole world spread out below us," Sir Edmund

said.

The two men hugged each other with relief and joy but only stayed on

the summit for 15 minutes because they were low on oxygen.

Sir Edmund took several photographs of the scenery and of Tenzing

waving flags of Britain, Nepal, the UN and India.

News of the conquest of Everest did not reach the outside world until

2 June, the eve of the Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

He was knighted by the Queen for his achievement in 1953, and 42 years

later was awarded her highest award for chivalry - the Order of the

Garter.

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