Sir Edmund Hillary, the man who first stood atop the worlds highest mountain over fifty years ago, died of a heart attack on January 11. The 88-year-old New Zealander gained international fame when he successfully summited 29,035-foot Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, with Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa guide from Nepal. As the two men descended the mountain, they met up with team member George Lowe and Hillary remarked, replica Breitling K1335611-A5-4 Men's watch Well, George, we knocked the bastard off. They were to become immortal words.For conquering the worlds highest mountain--a Herculean feat involving primitive equipment, thin air, crevasses, s
Afterwards, less afraid of lethal mountains than the sedate life, Hillary went on to knock off a considerable range of other challenges: a half-dozen Himalayan peaks, a tractor-ride through the South Pole, a plane ride with Neil Armstrong to the North Pole, and a jet-boating excursion up the Ganges. He also remained deeply committed to the people of Nepal and traveled there often in the service of various humanitarian causes.Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealanderwith modest abilities, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark replica Breitling A3235011-B7 Men's watch said in astatement issued today. In reality, he was a colossus. He was an heroicfigure who not only knocked off Everest but lived a life of determination,humility, and generosity. Indeed, more than 50 years year later, the legendary climbers shadow still looms large and Everest has become the ne plus ultra of serious mountaineering.
Since his historic climb, some 3,000 people have reached the summit--a septuagenarian, double amputee, Playboy Bunny and many with no experience at all among them--while more than 200 have died trying. avage wind, brutally cold temperatures, and, replica Breitling A7135 Ladie's watch most significantly, a previously unclimbed route that must have stretched forever before him into the sky--the Queen of England made Hillary a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In an astonishing fall from grace, the 2000 Sydney Olympics star returned her three gold and two bronze medals, and was erased from Olympic history by the International Olympic Committee.--Claire Napier Galofaro
