The Hillary grandchildren Alexander, Lily and George (from l.) in Auckland

The Hillarys seem to carry an Everest gene. Edmund Hillary succeeded in 1953 with the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay the first ascent of the highest mountain on earth. In 1990 and 2003, his son Peter followed in his father’s footsteps and reached the top of Everest at 8,850 meters twice. And in a year and a half, in spring 2020, three of the six grandchildren of the first Everest summiter could follow: Lily, Alexander and George Hillary.

Rising to challenges

Sir Edmund Hillary with his grandchildren Lily, Alexander and George

“It’s in our blood,” said 18-year-old Lily about mountaineering in an interview with the newspaper “New Zealand Herald”: “We really do enjoy it but more than the mountain itself it’s who you’re actually do it with and the challenges that you face.” Conquering those challenges while learning something about yourself was what her grandfather, who died in 2008, liked most, Lily says: “And I definitely can say it’s my favourite part too.”

Trekking to Everest Base Camp

Next year Lily and her father Peter, mother Yvonne and the brothers George and Alexander want to hike to Everest Base Camp on the Nepalese south side of the mountain. 26-year-old George will lead the family trekking group as a guide. From the base camp the Hillary grandchildren will be able to get a taste of Everest. Lily is about to finish school. Afterwards she wants to do “serious climbing” along with her father and her brothers, “just so I get a hang of the ropes so I won’t kind of hold back the team … or be the weakest link.”

First Denali, then Everest

In 2019, the three Hillary grandchildren want to climb the 6,190-meter-high Denali, the highest mountain in North America, in preparation for Everest. George and 22-year-old Alexander have already scaled Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe) and the Carstensz Pyramid, also called Puncak Jaya (Australia/Oceania) from the “Seven Summits”, the highest mountains of all continents.