The MountainWorld™ Blog

Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum grand opening!!

As many of you know from my blog and my newsletter, I am fortunate enough to be Chairman of the Advisory Board for the new Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum (BWAMM) right here in Golden, Colorado.

Exciting news is afoot as the grand opening of the museum is finally upon us!

The big date will be the weekend of February 16th & 17th, 2008, with lots of fun activities to attend. There will be open-to-the-public lectures by Ed Bernbaum, Lynn Hill, Tonya Riggs, Kelly Cordes, and me (Jake Norton); the American Mountaineering Center's rock climbing wall will be open; and there will be two temporary exhibits on display - Dr. Samuel Wagenfeld's Arctic Survival: Inuit People, Art and Culture & Jon Waterman's Journey Across the Arctic Refuge.

All this is in addition to the already amazing collection of artifacts, displays, and interactive, informative exhibits in the museum.

From Bradford Washburn's amazing Mount Everest model to Pete Schoening's ice axe from the famed 1953 K2 expedition, displays detailing the history, culture, and environments of mountains worldwide to an entryway that takes you over a crevasse, the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum is an incredible place!!

Be sure to stop by the BWAMM blog for regular updates, photos, and information on the museum, the grand opening, and important events.

So, mark your calendars and come on by on February 16 & 17...Lots of great events to bring the mountains of the world to your fingertips!

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Video Tribute to Mallory & Irvine

I came across this video the other day on YouTube. Quite a nice tribute to Mallory & Irvine, and including some fascinating archival footage from the 1920's and 1930's.

Also in the mix are clips from a modern reenactment of elements of the Mallory & Irvine story...not sure where they came from, but they are interesting as well.

The creator of the video, Escalador78, has also put together a nice video montage paying tribute to Hillary and Tenzing. Enjoy!

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Quotations from Sir Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008

As I reported yesterday, the world lost a great man with the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary. An extraordinary man in so many ways, he left and indelible mark on the world of mountaineering as well as on the world as a whole through his humanitarian efforts and self-effacing style.

In his memory, I wanted to share some of his thoughts and ideas which I have collected over the years:

You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated.

Each night when I went to bed [during the Everest expedition], I'd let my mind dwell on the likely things that might happen the next day. And I'd think out carefully the sorts of decisions that might be necessary to make.

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.

The explorers of the past were great men and we should honor them. But let us not forget that their spirit still lives on. It is still not hard to find a man who will adventure for the sake of a dream or one who will search, for the pleasure of searching, and not for what he may find.

People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.

There is precious little in civilization to appeal to a Yeti.

Better if he had said something natural like, Jesus, here we are.'
- Edmund Hillary on Neil Armstrong's "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

We commenced plugging up in foot deep steps with a thin wind crust on top and precious little belay for the ice-axe. It was altogether most unsatisfactory and whenever I felt feelings of fear regarding it I'd say to myself, 'Forget it!? This is Everest and you've got to take a few risks.'

We reached the summit almost together.
- Hillary & Tenzing's 1953 signed statement to dispel questions about who got to the summit first

There is no height, no depth, that the spirit of man, guided by a Higher Spirit, cannot attain.
- Lord John Hunt, after Hillary & Tenzin reached the top of Everest in 1953

Well, we knocked the bastard off.
- Sir Edmund Hillary, on reaching the summit of Everest with Tenzin Norgay

Wouldn't Mallory be pleased if he knew about this?
- Hillary while descending from the summit of Everest

These final quotes to me show most accurately who Hillary was as a man, his self-effacing, generous, gracious, and humanitarian sides. May his lasting legacy be an inspiration to us all as climbers, as human beings:

Another few weary steps and there was nothing above us but the sky. There was no false cornice, no final pinnacle. We were standing together on the summit. There was enough space for about six people. We had conquered Everest. Awe, wonder, humility, pride, exaltation—these surely ought to be the confused emotions of the first men to stand on the highest peak on Earth, after so many others had failed.

Without doubt, the most important things have never been standing on a summit, or reaching a Pole. Unquestionably, it has been the work we have done in cooperation with the mountain people, establishing schools, medical clinics, and hospitals. Those are the things I will always remember.

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

 

Sir Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008: Everest, Exploration, & Humanitarian Legend

The world has lost another great figure in exploration and Everest history with today's passing of Sir Edmund Hillary.

Hillary, along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, made climbing history when, on May 29th, 1953, they became the first people to reach the summit of Everest, the world's highest peak. It was an amazing feat to say the least, and gave both Hillary and Tenzing well-deserved places in the history books.

To me, however, Hillary's legacy extends well beyond his exploits as Everest "conqueror" or Antarctic explorer. Sure, he climbed Everest, but I would be willing to bet that to him that accomplishment was more a footnote to the stunning humanitarian accomplishments that followed.

In the years after Everest, Hillary, more than any climber before him and more than most that followed, dedicated his time, efforts, and the powers of fame to better the lives of the people who made his ascent possible: the Sherpa. After his 1953 ascent, Hillary founded the Himalayan Trust, a non-profit dedicated to bettering the lives of the Sherpa...and quite successful in its objectives. From the Khumjung School and Kunde Hospital to innovative forestry and infrastructure projects, the Himalayan Trust has helped to create a modicum of wealth, health, and overall prosperity in this once desperately impoverished mountain area.

And, Hillary did it all with his usual modesty and sincerity - in his words:

I first visited the Khumbu area on the south side of Everest in 1951 and developed a warm respect and affection for the Sherpa people who lived there. Their life was a tough and hardy one but they had a most vigorous sense of humour. It was impossible not to like their cheerfullnes and generosity.

Over the next ten years, I developed many Sherpa friends and became of the things they lacked in their rugged existence - no schooling for their children and no medical treatment for the ill. I often felt there was much we could do to help them but never got beyond the stage of talking and dreaming.

I only got to meet and speak with Hillary once, back in 1997 as he visited Denver. But, I remember it well, mostly for the simple fact that Hillary took the time to speak with me, a young climber hoping to some day get to the big peaks. But, fortunately our brief conversation focused more on the people and struggles of Nepal than on our climbs. Everest was only mentioned in passing - the focus was on the people who make our climbs possible.

Modest from beginning to end, Sir Edmund Hillary leaves a lasting legacy of how we all should act on our climbs and in life, as climbers, people, and stewards of the mountains.

Thank you, Sir Ed, for the memories, and dhanyabad from the mountains and the people of Nepal.

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.