Before Everest, Edmund Hillary took part in many tramping and climbing expeditions across New Zealand throughout the 1940s. Many of these climbs took place in the Southern Alps in the Aoraki Mt Cook area, providing Hillary with challenging environments in which to refine his mountaineering skills.
Hillary, Ruth Adams and Mick Sullivan’s historic ascent of the South Ridge of Mount Cook in February 1948 was overshadowed by an accident a few days later on Mount Perouse which required a dramatic high-altitude rescue expedition. Some of these moments can be seen in this collection of images.
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[Ruth Adams, Edmund Hillary, and Harry Ayers climbing Aoraki/Mt. Cook] © All rights reserved. PH-2010-4-P17-F3-p2-2 More information ›