Everest and Hillary: the mountain and the family are forever linked. On the 29th May, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the historic first ascent of the highest mountain on earth, Mt Everest. Peter Hillary was born 18 months later.
Peter grew up climbing mountains and participating in many of his father’s expeditions and projects – travelling to the North Pole, up the Ganges River in India, climbing in the Himalayas, around the United States, and helping the mountain people of Nepal.
Peter’s first summit of Everest in 1990 meant the Hillarys became the “first family” of Himalayan mountaineering with two generations of Everest climbers. They are also the first two generations of one family to have each established new routes across Antarctica to the South Pole. Peter reached the South Pole in 1999, and climbed Mt Everest for the second time in 2002 in celebration of his father’s historic first ascent with Tenzing Norgay. The expedition is the subject of the compelling National Geographic documentary Everest: 50 Years on the Mountain. In 2008, Peter completed the Seven Summits, the highest mountain on each of the seven continents。
Peter’s philosophy is to live life to the full. He has led a life of high adventure since his father first took him climbing at age seven.
Peter is the author of four mountaineering books and one children’s book. His sixth book, In the Ghost Country, written with Melbourne jounalist John Elder, has received critical acclaim for its literary merit.
Peter has been involved in numerous documentaries and films for National Geographic, PBS and Outdoor Life Network, as well as interviews for television shows including The Late Show with David Letterman, Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, Ray Martin Up Close and Personal in Australia and the Charlie Rose Show in New York. He is the author of six books including “In the Ghost Country: A Lifetime spent on the Edge” and numerous newspaper and magazine articles, including the New York Times, and the Sydney Morning Herald. He has appeared in numerous documentaries, including the National Geographic feature, Everest: 50 Years on the Mountain.
Himalayan Foundations is also part of the Hillary tradition, and in particular, giving back to the people of the Himalayas who make all Everest expeditions possible.