Seventy-two years after his grandfather Sir Edmund Hillary became the first person to summit Mt Everest, Alex Hillary is carrying on the legendary adventurer’s philanthropic legacy in Nepal.

The Wellington-based adventurer spoke to Susie Ferguson about the Summit Challenge – an annual fundraiser for Nepali communities in which Kiwis clock up vertical kilometres through the month of March – and why it is sometimes “a little bizarre” being the grandson of Sir Ed.

To try to help improve the lives of people in Nepal’s most impoverished communities, Sir Edmund Hillary and his first wife Louise established the Himalaya Trust in the 1960s.

Edmund Hillary and his first wife Louise. Photo / Screenshot From the Ocean to the Sky

Alex Hillary, now general manager of the trust, says supporting education has been its focus since Sir Ed built the Khumjung School a few kilometres from Mt Everest in 1961.

Decades on, students there are still thriving, he says, but nearby schools are a long way behind in terms of resources.

The Himalaya Trust, which has a local team of Sherpa and Nepali people, raises funds for teacher training, student scholarships, classroom renovations and computer labs in these schools.

“Ed provided education in those early days to these remote communities and I’ve seen the impact that has had. It’s sort of on my family to keep that work going and to keep awareness of it.”

As Sir Edmund Hillary’s grandson, Hillary says he has had great opportunities but also feels “an enormous amount of duty”.

Alex Hillary. Photo / Supplied

“I’ve travelled to extraordinary places because of Ed and I feel very privileged for that. But because of that, I do feel an enormous sense of responsibility to continue this work.”

On his first trip to Nepal and India aged 12, he was stunned by the deep respect for his grandfather’s achievements.

“That really struck a chord with me as a young boy, how these huge countries hold him so, so dearly. But then I grew up with him on the $5 note.”

While it was difficult and sometimes “a little bizarre” being the grandson of such a famous New Zealander, Hillary says he is very proud of what his grandfather stood for.

“He was this extraordinary guy that was really driven by a sense of purpose but not without a sense of playfulness, as well. Those would be the two big things I really took from him that I try to incorporate into my life.”

Like his grandfather, Alex Hillary is passionate about outdoor education and as patron of the non-profit organisation Hillary Outdoors, helps to get young Kiwis exploring nature as they explore themselves.

Many lessons about “consequences and boundaries and how far you can push yourself” cannot be learned in a classroom, he says.

Although Hillary grew up in Auckland, a family beach house on the “wild, incredibly rugged” West Coast was also a big part of his childhood.

“I have an immense sense of gratitude for growing up running around, making dams in the creek and rogaining across the rocks.”

The New Zealand five-dollar note, featuring the image of mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary. Photo / Reserve Bank of New Zealand

Visiting Nepal at 12, Hillary was moved by Mt Everest but the peak that really grabbed his attention was nearby Ama Dablam, which he describes as “the most extraordinary mountain in the world”.

“It just stands like this pillar. It’s got these big shoulders, and then just this very tall, almost unclimbable-looking summit and this big hanging glacier that’s just below the summit.”

Sir Ed never got to the top of the pointy 6812m peak and a horrific avalanche stopped his dad Peter’s attempt so Alex Hillary did not imagine he would ever get there either.

But in 2019 – in a “family first” – he and his brother George braved sheer rock, thick ice, and massive exposure to reach the summit.

“Everest was right there in front of us and you’re up at nearly 7000m so there’s not a lot of oxygen. Your brain is sort of muddled. We just had a hug and sort of looked around. It was pretty amazing.

“I just sort of dropped my knees and actually shed a tear.”

Although Hillary says he is more of an adventurer rather than a mountaineer, he and George climbed Ama Dablam in preparation for an attempt on Mt Everest the following year. Unfortunately, that year was 2020, when Covid-19 arrived.

Alex Hillary models the Edmund Hillary clothing brand at New Zealand Fashion Week in 2018. Photo / RNZ / Matthew Theunissen

This month, Hillary will build up his vertical kilometre count for the Summit Challenge by possibly climbing a Southern Alps mountain with his dad and lots of laps of Mt Victoria.

In past years, some people have gone large for the challenge – including a Christchurch mountaineer who took the month off work and climbed a new mountain every day and a Wānaka builder who climbed Mt Roy every day – but Hillary says it is really just about getting outdoors.

“It’s all about picking that goal and working towards it throughout the month, whether it’s with your dog, with your family on a bike, hiking, running ... Explore somewhere new, find a hill near you and do some good.

“Part of Ed’s message was ‘It doesn’t really matter if you’re a mountaineer or whatever. It’s just about getting out there, exploring, challenging yourself, pushing boundaries’.”

- RNZ