Sir Edmund Hillary’s Yeti
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai)
The legendary Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was a mountain climber and an explorer of the Antarctic. He was born on 20 July 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand and lived until the ripe old age of 88. Together with the Nepalese mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, he made history by being the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, 29,029 feet (8,848 metres) above sea level.
Although he became legendary for climbing Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary described himself as “a small and rather lonely child” during his early years. Hillary grew up in a small village called Tuakau, where he attended Tuakau Primary School. During his childhood in New Zealand, Hillary’s father worked as a beekeeper, a profession that he would later pursue as well. On the other hand, his mother was a schoolteacher and wanted to ensure her son attended a good school in the city. So, Hillary travelled to Auckland Grammar School for his secondary education. As a child, he was shy and studious, often burying himself in books, but he soon grew into a lanky teenager, towering at 6 feet 5 inches.
Sir Edmund Hillary at 9 months old
At the age of 16, he discovered his love of snow and climbing during a school ski trip to Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park. He also began climbing the Southern Alps of New Zealand while he was still in high school. Hillary’s first major climbing expedition was scaling Mount Ollivier, in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, at the age of 20. While at the University of Auckland, he studied mathematics and science but was also very active and joined outdoor clubs, which allowed him to develop his interest in climbing even further.
Despite having serious reservations, he was conscripted into the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II. During military service in the Solomon Islands, he suffered serious burn injuries in a boat accident and returned home to New Zealand. After World War II, he went back to mountain climbing and became determined to scale Mount Everest. It was then that Hillary and his brother Rex, following in the footsteps of their father, became beekeepers, which allowed them spare time to pursue mountain climbing during winter. Soon after, he joined a New Zealand party to the Himalayas and later that year, they joined a British reconnaissance expedition to climb the South Col, which is the sharp-edged notch or pass between Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse.
Together with the Nepalese mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, Sir Edmund Hillary made history by being the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world.
Following this, he received an invitation to join a team of mountaineers planning a historic climb up Mount Everest itself. In the spring of 1953, a base camp was established by the middle of May as a starting point for groups of mountaineers launching their expeditions up Mount Everest. After another pair of climbers failed to reach the top, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay set out early on May 29 and were standing on the summit of Mount Everest by late morning. The two climbers shook hands in celebration and Norgay embraced his partner while Hillary took photographs.
After that, they searched for signs of George Mallory, a British climber lost on Everest in 1924. Just before leaving, Hillary planted a crucifix in the snow and Norgay, who was a Buddhist, made a food offering of chocolates. They spent approximately 15 minutes on the peak before beginning their descent. Hillary made other expeditions to the Everest region during the early 1960s but never again tried to conquer the summit of the mountain. His historic conquest of Everest was announced on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, and the new queen knighted Hillary when he travelled to London.
Tenzing Norgay, also known as Sherpa Tenzing, was one of the first two individuals to reach the summit of Mount Everest
After achieving international fame as the first to climb Mount Everest, Hillary turned to exploration. From 1955 to 1958, he headed the New Zealand group in the British Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which was led by Vivian Fuchs (later knighted Sir Vivian Fuchs). Hillary finally reached the South Pole with a tractor on 4 January 1958, and wrote about his experience in the book, The Crossing of Antarctica in 1958 (co-authored with Fuchs) and No Latitude for Error in 1961.
During the Antarctic expedition of 1967, Hillary was among those who scaled Mount Herschel, 10,941 feet (3,335 metres) above sea level, for the first time. In 1968, he traversed the wild rivers of Nepal on a jet boat, and then in 1977, he led the first jet boat expedition up the River Ganges, all the way back to its source in the Himalayas. In 1985, Hillary and the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong flew a small twin-engine plane to the North Pole, a feat that cemented Hillary in the history books as the first person to stand on both poles and the summit of Everest, which became known as the “third pole.”
Another warm picture of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
His autobiography, Nothing Venture, Nothing Win, that detailed his expeditions and personal life was published in 1975, in which he said that he never anticipated the acclaim that would follow his historic ascent to the summit of Everest. From 1985 to 1988, he served as New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Over the years, he was awarded numerous honours, including the Order of the Garter in 1995.
Despite the many accolades and honours over the years, Hillary remained humble and unassuming. His main interest was the welfare of the Himalayan people of Nepal, especially the Sherpas — the community that Tenzing Norgay belonged to. With this in mind, he established the Himalayan Trust in 1960 that was tasked with the building of schools, hospitals, and airfields. His dedication to the Sherpas lasted into his later years and was recognised in 2003 during the 50th anniversary celebration of his and Norgay’s ascent of Everest, when he was given honorary citizenship of Nepal.
Sir Edmund Hillary (left) and Sherpa village leader Khunjo Chumbi at a 1960 press conference in Tokyo
Sir Edmund Hillary has been hailed as “New Zealand’s most trusted individual”, various geographic regions around the world bear his name, and the current five-dollar bill from New Zealand features his image. Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. He passed away on 11 January 2008 in Auckland. Flags were lowered to half-mast in mourning of his passing.
The Abominable Snowman
The term ‘abominable snowman’ was coined in 1921, the same year that Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury led the British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition. He wrote about it in his book, Mount Everest The Reconnaissance, 1921, in which he related his experience at the crossing of Lhakpa La, 21,000 feet (6,400 metres) above sea level. There he found unusual footprints that he believed,
“…were probably caused by a large ‘loping’ grey wolf, which in the soft snow formed double tracks rather like those of a bare-footed man”.
He did however add that his Sherpa guides “at once volunteered that the tracks must be that of ‘The Wild Man of the Snows’, to which they gave the name ‘Metoh-kangmi’.” “Metoh” translates as “man-bear” and “Kang-mi” translates as “snowman”.
Alleged Yeti footprint found by Michael Ward and photographed by Eric Shipton taken at Menlung Glacier on the 1951 Everest Expedition with Sir Edmund Hillary in Nepal
The ‘abominable snowman’ was born when Henry Newman, a longtime contributor to The Statesman in Calcutta, in which he wrote under the pen name of ‘Kim’, interviewed the porters of the Everest Reconnaissance expedition while they were returning to Darjeeling. Newman translated “metoh” as “filthy” and substituted it with the term “abominable”, perhaps out of artistic license. Thus, the abominable snowman was born and sparked the interest of mountain climbers and explorers of that time.
Search For the Yeti
Apart from his achievements as a climber and explorer, Sir Edmund Hillary is well-known in history as the first man who searched for the yeti, another name for the abominable snowman. In the 1950s, stories of hairy man-like creatures roaming the snowy peaks of the Himalayas were intensely popular and curiosity surrounding the abominable snowman was so widespread that Hillary was drawn to search for him.
Sir Edmund Hillary, conquerer of Mount Everest, is presented with a hairy scalp believed to be the scalp of a yeti.
A number of footprints were found, indicating that yeti-like creatures were active in remote places in Nepal, Tibet, and the surrounding region. Then in 1952, Hillary along with George Lowe discovered strange hair associated with the yeti on a high pass while in the mountains. In 1953, Hillary found yeti tracks in the Barun Khola range, and the following year, two British members of Hillary’s team uncovered yeti tracks down in the Choyang Valley.
Hillary’s trusted Sherpa friends even related their firsthand sightings of the man-sized yeti. The Sherpas of Nepal knew of several types of abominable snowmen that roamed the Himalayas. Whilst searching for the yeti, Hillary and his collaborator, Desmond Doig, noted that there were several unknown primates said to be living in the Himalayan region but had yet to be discovered by the scientific community. Among the several varieties of yeti, there was one called the ‘Nyalmo’. Hillary and Doig first came across the Nyalmo in north-central Nepal. They were said to be,
“giant-sized (up to twenty feet tall), manlike, hairy, and given to shaking giant pine trees in trials of strength while other Nyalmos sit around and clap their hands.”
![[2:40 AM, 11/1/2017] PDL: Drawing by Edwin Duesiester from an 1979 eyewitness account by Desmond Doig and Edmund Hillary](https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/edmundhillary021.jpg)
Drawing by Edwin Duesiester from a 1979 eyewitness account by Desmond Doig and Sir Edmund Hillary
Throughout the 1950s, Hillary was a keen supporter of the possibility of the existence of the yeti. Late in the 1960s, Sir Edmund Hillary, sponsored by the World Book encyclopedia company of Chicago, departed on his famous expedition to Nepal in pursuit of the yeti. During the expedition, he recovered a supposed yeti ‘scalp’ from Khumjung Monastery and brought it to the West for testing. Hillary explained,
“The scalp was in the house of a frightening old woman, believed to be a witch, in Khumjung. It has been in the possession of the village for 240 years. Unfortunately, the results indicated the scalp was manufactured from the skin of a serow, a goat-like Himalayan antelope.”
Since Hillary’s time until today, the yeti still evades explorers and mountain climbers, only offering quick eyewitness glimpses together with a steadily growing body of footprint evidence. Along with its North American cousin, the sasquatch, the yeti continues to inspire the imagination of countless bigfoot hunters and researchers around the world.
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/SirEdmundHillaryInterview.mp4
Video Description:
In the 1960s, Sir Edmund Hillary arrived in Europe with what was supposedly the scalp of a yeti from the village of Khumjung in Nepal. Though he had his doubts about its authenticity, he wanted his theories confirmed by scientists. The villagers of Khumjung held the scalp in high regard and thought of it as a good luck charm. Though this particular interview is conducted in French, Hillary was fortunate to have the questions translated into English. At the end of the interview is a drawing of what Hillary believed the yeti looked like.
Conclusion
Sir Edmund Hillary’s life story not only serves as a testament to the determination of the human mind to conquer what was once thought unconquerable – Mount Everest, and his compassion to help others — his works in bettering the lives of the Sherpas in the Himalayas, but also how the human imagination and search for truth can lead men to new discoveries.
Since Hillary’s time, the search for the yeti and other related creatures, such as bigfoot, has become a mainstream pursuit. Hillary’s preliminary discoveries have inspired a whole new generation of researchers and professors all over the world, including notable names such as Professor Jeff Meldrum from the United States of America and Dr Igor Burtsev from Russia, not forgetting countless generations of amateur yeti/bigfoot researchers and hunters who spend their lives searching for the elusive creatures. With the latest advances in forensic science and technology, many new discoveries continue to point towards the existence of the yeti or bigfoot, and perhaps one day soon will prove once and for all that the yeti really exists.
Yeti or bigfoot are well-accepted living creatures that are considered half-human and half-animal. To the Tibetans, Nepali, Bhutanese and people from all over the Himalayas, they are actually considered to be more of an animal, and there is no doubt of the existence of the yetis amongst these people. For many thousands of years people have seen them and there are many stories of these encounters. So, for the modern man, it may seem that this type of large humanoid creature perhaps does not exist, given that people are still unable to find ‘scientific’ proof of their existence. On the other hand, someone of Sir Edmund Hillary’s stature, reputation and fame has put the search for the yeti firmly on the map. No one ever doubted what Sir Edmund Hillary witnessed and recounted. So, the mystery continues since so many people, including of great stature, have seen it. Therefore, we can conclude that although Sir Edmund Hillary did in fact see something in the mountains, it was not a bear or an ape and could possibly well be a yeti of Himalayan folklore.
Sir Edmund Hillary painted by one of his many fans
Sir Edmund Hillary and his wife, Louise Mary Rose, during their wedding in 1953
Sir Edmund Hillary with his team, taken during one of his expeditions
Sir Edmund Hillary and Lady Louise Hillary with their son Peter in 1955
New Zealand mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary arrives in London with his wife, Louise. They were married on September 3, 1953 soon after his ascent of Mount Everest. In 1975, while en route to join Hillary in Phaplu, Louise and their teenage daughter Belinda were killed in a plane crash near Kathmandu airport shortly after take-off.
Peter Hillary (left, son of Edmund Hillary) and Jamling Tenzing Norgay (right, son of Tenzing Norgay). In May 2002, Peter climbed Mount Everest as part of a 50th anniversary celebration. Jamling Tenzing Norgay was also part of the expedition.
A portrait of Sir Edmund Hillary in his later years
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There is an area near Lumbini, Nepal, they have sightings of Yeti for hundreds of years. So they have signages in the area with Yeti artwork to highlight this. Interesting. TR
(Part 1 of 8)
This museum in Pokhara, Nepal has a section dedicated to Yetis (Bigfoot). Very interesting. I am including some pictures of the inside of this wonderful museum. Do enjoy. ~ Tsem Rinpoche
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 2 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 3 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 4 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 5 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 6 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 7 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 8 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
Curious about the legendary Yeti? Not sure what to believe? Here is an article that explores a range of sources, from folktales to newspaper reports, detailing sightings and encounters with the elusive creature, who has been a part of the very fabric of various Himalayan communities for thousands of years. Read about religious beliefs, myths, fables and stories by scholars and travellers alike, and realise that there is more to the Yeti than you previously thought.
Imagining-the-Wild-Man-Yeti-Sightings-in-Folktales-and-Newspapers.pdf
This is a real awesome documentary on bigfoot. One of the best – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp5eV9nIEjk&feature=youtu.be
In 1967, Bob Gimlin and Roger Patterson stumbled across an incredible sight whilst out in Bluff Creek, in the California wilderness. At a creek which had been freshly washed-out by recent floods, they witnessed a female Bigfoot swiftly traverse the rugged landscape. Since their filmed encounter with the Bigfoot, who has since been nicknamed Patty, many have disputed the authenticity of their recording but no one has been able to successfully prove that it is a fake.
Credits for this video goes to entirely to windvale for the original footage.
Thank you, Pastor David, for this interesting sharing. Sir Edmund Yeti is a shining example of a true fearless explorer. A lifetime of determination and dedication towards causes that he believe deeply in without consideration for fame and wealth. May we too, can ignite that hidden passion in us and go all the way with what we believe in.
A joy to watch a good natured person become one of the first persons to scale the Everests. It is also quite rare of successful people to care for the welfare of people from the developing world like Nepal and that he took a deep interest into the Sherpas.
Sir Edmund Hilary has much fame after his climbs up the Everest he does not need to mar his reputation, by indicating he saw a mythical creature like the Yeti. Yet he did so. He obviously believed the existence of Yeti, and mounted expeditions to search for it. Probably what he never expected was how determined Yetis were to make themselves hidden.
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David for this was most interesting post.
Sir Edmund Hillary made world history by being the first mountaineer to scale Mt Everest, the highest peak in the world, together with fellow Nepalese mountaineer Tenzin Norgay .
This is a fine example of Hillary as a man of grit and determination.Hillary continued to show his zest for exploration by participating in exploration expeditions to the North and South Poles, and even the Ganges and the wild rivers in Nepal!
Sir Edmund Hillary was also the first man to go in search of the yeti or Bigfoot. Hillary became fascinated with the Bigfoot upon hearing stories of first sightings by his close Sherpa friends. His search for the yeti and some preliminary findings have inspired a whole wave of research and study on the yeti. All this and new sightings point to a strong possibility of the yeti’s existence being proven to be real in the near future.
Hillary will also be well-remembered for his devotion to bettering the lives of the Himalayan people of Nepal, particularly the Sherpas, Tenzin Norgay’s people.He established the Himalayan Trust which was tasked with the building of schools, hospitals, and airfield for these Himalayan people.He was recognized for this by his being awarded honorary citizenship of Nepal. The warm spirit of comradeship of their fathers appeared to
have continued in the sons. Fifty years after the event, Peter Hillary and Jaming Tenzin Norgay together joined the expedition that successfully scaled Mt Everest, as their fathers had done before.
Thank you Pastor Lai for sharing.
Passion > drive > attitude > curiosity > determination > mission
Thank you for this post on Sir Edmund Hillary and yeti. It’s a good read and must read for those who are interested in Yeti, Snowman or Bigfoot. It was written in a simple way easy to understand yet highlighted what we can learn from Sir Edmund Hillary’s expedition and passion.
From his story I learn not only the determination, persistency and believe in what he wishes to do to scale Mount Everest. Even he became famous and received many accolades and honours; he did not stop there. He continue to do things he is passionate of including helping to improve the welfare of Sherpas, the people he has close association with and sharing the same dreams with. With imagination, as the famous saying “will often carry us to worlds that never were…”
One of Sir Edmund Hillary’s best quotes – It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.
His life story and feat conquering the highest mountain in the world serves as an inspiration of strength and true human grit. I remember reading about Sir Hillary’s story when I was a child and recalled about him seeing an abominable snowman aka yeti during his expedition. I was fascinated but initially did not connect Yeti to BigFoot until many years later. Am glad to be able to read more about BigFoot, Yeti and the like on Rinpoche’s blog. (It’s always good to have a variety of interests!) While many do not believe in BigFoot’s existence, I personally do believe that BigFoots do exist, just extremely shy and hence, prefers to hide away from humans. I also think Chewbacca in Star Wars is probably based on BigFoot. 🙂
Thank you for the good read.
Although unfortunately the scalp couldn’t prove anything concrete but from taking the account of Sir Edmund Hillary’s statement, one can only believe what he has seen.
Thank you Pastor David.
I love to read articles on the legendary Sir Edmund Percival Hillary. Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealand mountaineer and explorer who with Tenzing Norgay, his Nepalese Sherpa guide been the first to reach the summit of Mt Everest.
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reported seeing large footprints while scaling Mount Everest. Follow by other expedition also discovered similar yeti-like footprints even a supposed yeti ‘scalp’ .A number of footprints were also found, indicating that yeti-like creatures were active in remote places in Nepal, Tibet, and the surrounding region. That’s sounds interesting but the scientific researcher had not discovered .
He had a beautiful life story proving nothing is impossible if we make an effort to pursue our dreams .His determination to conquer what was once thought unconquerable – Mount Everest, and his compassion to help others. And to search for truth can lead men to new discoveries of yetis.
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai for these interesting article.
As a kid growing up in the backwoods, we hear of Sir Edmund Hillary and his adventures up Mount Everest and the forsaken Antarctica.The adventures were made more exciting by the fact that it was in a very very cold place and gained our admiration for his bravery and adventurous spirit.
Now, reading of his other works like bettering the very lives of the sherpas without whose help these expeditions up Mount Everest would not have been possible, is very heartwarming. He is a man of facts and objectives, and for him to come out say what he had seen up in the snowy mountains, must hold some water. Makes one sit up and take notice and believe in yetis or the more romantic version, the abominable snowman.
Thank you for sharing about Sir Edmund Hillary and his adventures.