Thread: Sir Edmund Hillary has died at the age of 88.

EVEREST conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary has died at the age of 88.

He died of a heart attack in an Auckland hospital about 9am (7am AEDT) today

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced the news today, saying the death of New Zealand's greatest hero was a profound loss.

"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," Miss Clark said.

Everest conquerer Sir Edmund Hillary dies aged 88 | NEWS.com.au

RIP Edmund

This is weird.....was at newsvine and saw the story.
ANd at the same time, is a thread hear about newsvine and how the owner got the domain.
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Yes, RIP Sir Edmond.

Sir Edmond was a proper legend.... a real pioneer.

Yep, that's another page of history turned. A real pioneer.

Originally Posted by iowadawg

This is weird.....was at newsvine and saw the story.
ANd at the same time, is a thread hear about newsvine and how the owner got the domain.
Expired Domains - Webmaster Discussion Forums

*Twilight Zone music*

I was thinking about Scott of the Antarctic yesterday, a bit before Hilary's time though. Surfing ebay and looking at windproof jackets led me to that line of thought.

Were the climbers and explorers of yesteryear made of tougher stuff than today? Without GPS and satellites, it must have been a bigger step into the unknown.

Very, very true, but at the side of every great climber back then, stood a Sherpa just as noble, and probably just as expert too.
I was thinking of Scott the other day as wellmg: - It was that Carling advert that reminded me, the one where they're all holed up in the tent together, talking about going out for a few birthday drinks. Maybe there's a conspiracy of messages being aimed at everyone... warning of an impending ice age 'The Day After Tomorrow Style'

Originally Posted by EveryoneCollects

but at the side of every great climber back then, stood a Sherpa just as noble, and probably just as expert too.

Sherpa's still play an important role on pretty much every expedition to Everest still today. A summit attempt, even today, is a month, or 2 or 3, long affair. So the group must bring supplies for that long, set up a series of camps on the mountain, etc. Base camp, camp 1, 2, 3, and 4. So Sherpa's are hired as help to bring the extra stuff and run the camps, plus the supplies needed to house the Sherpa's themselves. At each camp they spend a significant amount of time waiting, to acclimatize to the altitude and wait for weather windows to climb higher.

The big difference is that Sherpa's are rarely climbing partners amongst the summit team.