Peter Hillary

When Peter first climbed Mt Everest in 1990, he and his father, Sir Edmund Hillary, became the first ’father and son’, two generations from one family, to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, (although they were 37 years apart!).

In January 1999, 42 years after Sir Edmund’s epic Antarctic journey, they did it again; this time becoming the first two generations of one family to have reached the South Pole overland from the coast and both of them establishing new routes to the South Pole. These are two highlights in what has been a lifetime of high adventure on over 40 expeditions to major and often frightening challenges.

Mountaineering expeditions include climbs on Everest West Ridge, Makalu West Pillar, K2 Abruzi Spur, Mt Vinson, Aconcagua, Lhotse, Amadablam, Mt Cook and Carstenz Pyramid. In all, Peter Hillary has been on over 40 expeditions and alpine seasons and completed the Seven Summits, climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, in 2008.

In 1981 his expedition called First Across the Roof of the World was the first high-altitude traverse of the Himalayan Range. This was a 3000 mile/5000 kms route from Mt Kanchenjunga in Sikkim through Nepal and India to K2 in Pakistan. The trio of Graeme Dingle, Chewang Tashi and Peter averaged over 13,000 feet/4000 meters altitude for the 10 months of the expedition.

In 1977 his expedition called ’Ocean to the Sky’ involved jetboating up the sacred Ganges river with his father. They drove up the river from the Sundarbunds in the Bay of Bengal to high in the Himalayas near Badrinath where they made first ascents of Mounts Nar Parbat and Akash Parbat.

Peter is on the boards of The American Himalayan Foundation, The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation of Canada, The Australian Himalayan Foundation and works with the Himalayan Trust UK  and the Himalayan Trust that was founded by his father, and he assists regularly at fundraising events for these charities around the world including the Himalayan Trust UK in London, and the Hillary German Foundation in Bavaria.

In the Mt Everest area of Nepal they have built and run 42 schools, hospitals and medical clinics. They have on-going annual programmes such as the teacher education programme and conservation and forestry programmes. Following the devastating earthquake EQ15 in Nepal in 2015 he has been involved in the extensive first response to devastated communities and the long term rebuild - ’rebuild better’ to earthquake strengthened standards for schools and hospitals. Peter supports outdoor programmes for young people through his involvement with the Hillary Outdoors Education and with the Hillary Trail on Auckland’s west coast.