How Old Was Edmund Hillary When He Climbed Mount Everest?

Are you interested in mountain climbing, and do you want to know how old was Edmund Hillary when he climbed Mount Everest? Edmund Hillary was a mountaineer, and an explorer. He was one of the first climbers to reach Mount Everest. Time magazine actually named him one of the most influential people of the twentieth century. Yet, do you want to know more about his background, and the answer to how old was Edmund Hillary when he climbed Mount Everest?

Edmund Hillary's Age When He Climbed Mount Everest

Edmund Hillary was thirty-three years old when he climbed Mount Everest. After he climbed the mountain, he told his friend, “Well, George, we knocked the bastard off.”

Edmund Hillary’s Childhood and Adolescence

Edmund Hillary was born on July 20 in 1919. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand. His parents were Percival Augustus Hillary and Gertrude Hillary. Although he was born in Auckland, his family moved to Tuakau in 1920. The family moved because his father acquired land in Tuakau.

As a child, Hillary attended the Tuakau Primary School, and then Auckland Grammar School. He was advanced for his age, and he finished primary school two years earlier than he was supposed to. However, he had difficulty in high school, and only received average grades.

As a young boy, Hillary was smaller than the majority of other children. Since he was smaller, he avoided sports, and loved to read instead. He would read a number of adventure stories, and dream about going on adventures. This background of adventure stories helped inspire him to climb mountains later in life. 

His Beginning Interest in Climbing

Hillary eventually grew, and he became interested in sports. He started to box, and this further increased his confidence. When he was sixteen, he went on a school trip to Mount Ruapehu. On this school trip, he was exposed to climbing and became interested in it.

In 1939, Hillary completed his first major climb. He reached the peak of Mount Ollivier, and this convinced Hillary further to continue to pursue climbing. He became a beekeeper with his brother because this allowed Hillary to climb during the summer.

In 1948, Hillary climbed up to the south ridge of Aoraki to Mount Cook. Mount Cook is New Zealand’s highest peak. Thus, this was a huge accomplishment for Hillary. In 1951, Hillary was part of an expedition to Everest. However, this expedition was unsuccessful. Shortly after, in 1952, Hillary was part of an expedition that attempted to climb the Cho Oyu. This expedition also failed due to the fact that there wasn’t a route on the Nepal side. 

Everest Expedition

In 1953, Hillary joined an expedition to attempt to climb Everest. In the fifties, the road to Everest was controlled by Tibet. Only one expedition to climb Mount Everest was allowed each year. In 1953, Hillary’s expedition was given the go ahead to climb the mountain. The expedition consisted of Tom Bourdillon, Charles Evans, Hillary, and Tenzing Norway.

When the expedition set out, it included approximately four hundred people. There were over three hundred porters, twenty Sherpa guides, and about ten thousand pounds of baggage. The Sherpa guides were intended to lead the expedition partially up the mountain. In March of 1953, the expedition set off.

During the expedition, the crew often experienced snow and wind which would delay their travel. The four climbers were broken up into teams, and Hillary and Tenzing were in one team. Bourdillion and Evans had to turn back in May because Evans’ oxygen system didn’t work. Thus, that only left Hillary and Tenzing to continue to the top of Mount Everest.

The pair reached the summit at eleven thirty in the morning on May 29 in 1953. The summit of Mount Everest is the highest peak on Earth. Hillary took a photograph of Tenzing to commemorate the moment.