Always more challenges, says Peter Hillary

By CAMPBELL SPENCER in Kathmandu

The focus is on his famous father, but climber Peter Hillary is in Nepal for the Everest Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Like Sir Edmund, Peter's name is synonymous with adventure.

He has climbed most of the world's major peaks and was the first person to traverse all 5000km of the Himalayan Mountains. He has twice summited Everest, most recently with the National Geographic 50th Anniversary Expedition last year.

"It was a fantastic opportunity to get together with a great group of people and to celebrate the anniversary of a remarkable event," he said of the expedition.

"The fact that they also highlighted the significant input of the Sherpa people to mountaineering was very important to me."

Peter said that with his upbringing, it was no coincidence that he had gone on and done a lot of similar things as his father.

"You know, growing up in the Hillary household, so many famous people would come over for dinner and I could feel the excitement, see it in their eyes, as they planned adventures with dad, or talked about past expeditions.

"From an early age I decided that was what I wanted to do."

Peter said there was never any pressure from his father, who did not believe in handing out lessons to his children, but inspired them through example.

"The only thing my father ever drummed into me was to not be afraid to stand alone and make my own decisions.

"That lesson saved my life on K2 [Peter was the only one of eight climbers to get down the mountain alive during a severe storm in 1995].

Peter believed that the example his father set had benefited not just him, but entire generations of people.

"What my father and Tenzing did was extraordinary, they literally climbed into the unknown. And to be honest they were ordinary blokes, which makes it all the more wonderful and uplifting," he said.

"What they did gave confidence to other people to get out and follow their dreams and has empowered us to take on challenges."

Peter believed there were still many more great challenges to be confronted and that any one who said there was nothing left to do was missing the point.

"There is no end to the unknown, and so many things need to be done. Not just with outdoor pursuits but in all areas of life."

"What people are doing today is incredible, they are pushing the parameters further and further out in all fields. Young people especially have the confidence to take things to a far greater level than we imagined possible only a few years ago."

Peter's passion was with the Antarctic.

"I have been down there nine times, skied to the South Pole, made the first ascent of Mt Vincent, and for the next few years I will focus on taking expeditions down there.

"It's a truly amazing environment."

Peter did not take for granted the fact he was able to pursue a career many would envy.

"I feel very privileged to be leading the life I do. My father broke the ground and I'm happy to plod along in his footsteps, that's where I want to go."

As the 50th anniversary celebrations get under way in Nepal and all over the world, Peter thought there was too much focus on the physical climb and that we should reflect on the symbolism of that first ascent.

"More than the actual climb, we should be celebrating what the achievement represents - reaching a distant and difficult goal, overcoming the seemingly impossible, stepping out into the unknown.

"They were an extraordinary group of pioneers, who gave us so much.

"It was truly one of the great moments of the 20th century."

He will be based at Tengboche Monastery in the Everest foothills and will be hosting a banquet dinner on Thursday for 200 fellow mountaineers, before flying out to the United States on the 31st.