Famous peak's adventurous conqueror

On May 29, 1953, the two intrepid mountaineers stood on top of the world. The news got to London just in time for the coronation of Elizabeth II.

But Sir Edmund's adventures were not confined to Everest alone. In later years he led trips to the South Pole and to the source of the Yangtze River. He also committed himself to humanitarian work among the Sherpas through his Himalayan Trust.

He was born in Auckland on July 20, 1919, and his taste for mountaineering began when, aged 16, he went on a school trip to Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand's central North Island.

By the Second World War, he had become seriously involved in climbing. He served in the NZ Air Force for two years, but was discharged after an accident. He then joined the NZ Alpine Club, taking part in the first ascent of the southern ridge of Mount Cook - the highest peak in New Zealand.

After the war, Sir Edmund spent as much time preparing for Everest as he could, practising rock climbing and ice pick work, as well as taking up wrestling. In 1951, he made his first trip to the Himalayas and the following year joined a UK Everest Committee training team.

Sir Edmund Hillary joined the British expedition to climb Everest in 1953, led by British mountaineer John Hunt. After an earlier pair had to retire 300 feet short of the summit, Hillary and Tenzing, recognised as the strongest in the team, were chosen to have a go. Hillary photographed Tenzing on the summit, but there was no photograph of Hillary. Tenzing had never used a camera before.

Edmund Hillary was knighted for conquering Mt Everest. Tenzing was given the George Medal. Hillary then turned to the Antarctic and led the NZ section of the Trans-Antarctic expedition from 1955 to 1958. In 1958 he participated in the first mechanised expedition to the South Pole. In 1960, he returned to Nepal to help build clinics, hospitals and 17 schools.

His life was darkened by the loss of his wife and a daughter in a plane crash in 1975. He married again in 1989 and continued to occupy himself with environmental causes.

Hillary returned to Everest in 2003, the 50th anniversary of his climb, and was appalled at the way it had become a virtual tourist attraction. He called for Everest to be closed for a while, to give it a rest.