Ok, so I border on
blasphemy with this one, but after the
verbal diarrhea insightful opinion from climb_ca in the previous post, perhaps some levity is needed here. Well,
you all know about
Sir Edmund Hillary, 'Hillie' to his friends.
Sir Edmund Hillary was born in 1919 and grew up in Auckland, New
Zealand. It was in New Zealand that he became interested in mountain
climbing. Although he made his living as a beekeeper, he climbed
mountains in New Zealand, then in the Alps, and finally in the
Himalayas, where he climbed 11 different peaks of over 20,000 feet. By
this time, Hillary was ready to confront the world's highest mountain.
Enough said. Even though it has long been rumoured that Tenzing Norgay was the first to step foot on the summit and they used oxygen, but again, minor points in an illustrious career. After climbing Everest, SEH could have done the lecture circuit, banged socialites, perhaps even taken a stab at politics. However, SEH returned, and returned often to the setting for his life shaping achievement to start his second career. The people of Nepal, especially of the Khumbu valley have benefited hugely from his work in bringing exposure, and more importantly, money to fund projects on sanitation, education, and health care. More than any one person, SEH is responsible for making the Khumbu valley a sustainable area for humans with improved facilities to improve the standard of living on all levels. Ok, so it's also rumoured that he had an ongoing dalliance with Liz Hawley, but big deal, all great men have a harem. Also, he was/is no stranger to the drink, and stories of him running naked through the Thamel yelling, 'I invented pants' are not categorically denied. Regardless, SEH is the face of mountaineering, his name will always be tied with Everest and climbing. So, the question remains, is he fat? Well, he really didn't continue a career in climbing after the Everest
conquest, and yes, he did get fat. More of an administrator, humanitarian, and de facto ambassador to Nepal, SEH lived the good life, and I highly doubt his down suit fit two years after his Everest summit. Yet all great men become fat at some point in the lives (Liberace, Elvis...) and he just got old, so no big deal, but for this, Sir Edmund Hillary, we honour you, the GetOutdoors Where are They Now Fat Climber of the Week.
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