Hillary Intends To “Play Around” On Mountains

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30365, 14 February 1964, Page 13

Hillary Intends To “Play Around” On Mountains

In spite of his 44 years, the 1953 conqueror of Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, yesterday said in Christchurch that he “still enjoyed the mountains and intended to play around a bit.” “My ability to dash around the peaks is considerably reduced from what it used to be,” he said. “I have devoted most of my efforts to aid programmes, and leave most of the climbing to the mass of younger bloods.” Sir Edmund Hillary said he could not forecast when he would give up climbing mountains. To climb mountains, a person just had to be at, and have the basic req irements of experience and technical ability. This week Sir Edmund Hillary is showing New Zealand to the president and publisher of Field Enterprises, Mr Marshall Field, of Chicago. He will escort Mr Field on a salmon fishing trip to the Rakaia river today. A subsidiary of Field Enterprises, an encyclopedia company, is financing a major part of a new plan of Sir Edmund Hillary’s in the Himalayas at the end of this year. Of an estimated expedition

cost of 52,000 dollars, the encyclopedia company will supply 38,000 dollars. Sir Edmund Hillary said the programme included the t ’lding of three more elementary schools for Sherpa children and the construction of an airstrip to give quicker access to the area.

Sir Edmund Hillary said that his mountaineering objective on the trip would be an attempt on the virgin peak, Tamserku (21,700 ft This peak was about 15 miles south of Mount Everest.

“1 think the only way to climb it is by traversing over the neighbouring higher peak of Kangtega, which stands at 22,400 ft,” he said. No oxygen would be used for the actual assault, he said, but a supply of medical oxygen would be taken. The climb would probably involve four camps over 20,000 feet. “I expect there to be only six or seven climbers,” he said. “But there will be quite a few other people as well, such as doctors. We are going to do a physiology programme, too.” He said the climbing was secondary to the aid programme.