Two generations

by Edmund Hillary, Peter Hillary

Ed Hillary and his son Peter span three decades of high-altitude climbing and three decades of aid development in Nepal. From 1953 to 1984 the changes have been immense. On the climbing scene the 8,000-metre peaks have been climbed by harder and harder routes, and the siege tactics of the big battalions have given way to small oxygenless alpine-style ascents, as confidence and equipment have improved beyond all bounds. While Nepal itself, the once secret country, from which Ed Hillary climbed to fame on Everest in 1953, has opened its doors to tourism and embraced the trekking boom. In two halves of this book the Hillarys tell their sometimes separate, sometimes interwoven stories, sharing with the reader their desolation at the death of Ed's wife Louise and Daughter Belinda, and their efforts to rebuild a family relationship without the linchpins; their abiding pleasure in discovering the world's most beautiful wildernesses, whether in the snow-capped ranges of New Zealand's own South Island, or camping with old Sherpa friends in a steep rhododendron-clad valley of Nepal on a remote bridge building mission; a rueful coming to terms, in Ed's case, with the limitations of growing old, on the American 1981 Everest East Face expedition; and in Peter's case the exhilaration of climbing at extreme difficulty on Lhotse in 1982, an attempt which was only beaten back by atrocious weather 700 feet from the summit. TWO GENERATIONS is a frank and engaging book, written with good humour and total honesty by a father and son who do not always see eye to eye, but share a zest for adventure which they communicate unstintingly.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Sir Edmund Percival Hillary KG ONZ KBE was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. From 1985 to 1988 he served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh and concurrently as Ambassador to Nepal.

Hillary became interested in mountaineering while in secondary school. He made his first major climb in 1939, reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier. He served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator during World War II. Prior to the Everest expedition, Hillary had been part of the British reconnaissance expedition to the mountain in 1951 as well as an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho Oyu in 1952. As part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition he reached the South Pole overland in 1958. He subsequently reached the North Pole, making him the first person to reach both poles and summit Everest.

Following his ascent of Everest, Hillary devoted himself to assisting the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, which he established. His efforts are credited with the construction of many schools and hospitals in Nepal. Hillary had numerous honours conferred upon him, including the Order of the Garter in 1995. Upon his death in 2008, he was given a state funeral in New Zealand.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being a chronic risk averter, I LOVE vicarious mountaineering. Unexpectedly preferred Peter's part, but perhaps Ed had used up the best bits in his other books. There seemed to be an affection imbalance between father and son, which made me sad, but perhaps that's a generational difference. Peter's final chapters on Lhotse were a thrill and alone worth the read.

[Claire Garvais · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second time reading Ascent. I’ve learned more about climbing and a little more about mountaineering since my first read and it really added to my enjoyment of the book. Both father and son are excellent writers and know how to paint a vivid picture of their adventures. Highly recommend!