Founding Snowvision Patron, Sir Edmund Hillary dies

11th January 2008

The Snowvision Foundation is saddened that its Founding Patron, Sir Edmund Hillary, has passed away at the age of 88. His support to the Foundation was invaluable. The passing of this great New Zealander is a huge loss to the alpine community and to New Zealand as a whole.

He has been described as, "A legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist and is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived. But most of all he was a quintessential Kiwi."

Snowvision aims to emulate Sir Ed's (as he was affectionately known) achievements, by getting New Zealanders into winter alpine recreation.
As one of our greatest New Zealanders his achievements and work remain one of our most compelling inspirations.

The obituary from the Daily Telegraph is an excellent account of his outstanding achievements and his life:

Sir Edmund Hillary, who died late yesterday aged 88, made his name as the first conqueror (with Norgay Tenzing) of Everest; just as impressive, though, was the use he made of his renown over the remainder of his life.

On the one hand there were feats of exploration - to the Antarctic and South Pole from 1956 to 1958; in other parts of the Everest region in the early 1960s (including a search for the Abominable Snowman, or yeti). In 1968 he drove jetboats up the violent rapids of Nepalese rivers; in 1977 he took them up the Ganges.

To read the complete Daily Telegraph article here »