The Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal

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Background of the Medal

In May 1953 an expedition led by Sir John Hunt culminated in the first ascent of Mt. Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

Surprisingly, an event often regarded as the ultimate human triumph on Earth gave rise to an achievement of far greater importance. Sir Edmund found in his Himalayan adventure and his subsequent celebrity the inspiration and the opportunity to "return the favor" by assisting the people who were his comrades on that climb, and by helping to protect their beautiful homeland. Through his personal efforts, and through the foundations that he helped establish in New Zealand, Canada, the United States, and Germany, Sir Edmund built some 30 schools, two airstrips, two hospitals, and 11 village clinics. He assisted in the restoration of monasteries, instituted scholarship and teacher training programs, and established reforestation projects in Khumbu, Mustang, and the Annapurna region, all at the specific request of the local residents, with no agenda other than helping to spread good will.

The Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Medal was established in 2003 with the express approval of Sir Edmund Hillary himself and is awarded annually "for remarkable service in the conservation of nature and the equitable advancement of human welfare in mountainous regions." The Medal both recognizes Sir Edmund’s enduring commitment to the welfare of mountain people and their environment and also encourages the continuing emulation of his example. The selection of Medalists is administered by the non-profit agency Mountain Legacy International, Inc. Making of the Medal Medalists

Helen Cawley and Michael Schmidt at Tengboche, 2003

Above: Sir Edmund Hillary's son Peter Hillary, a world class adventurer and humanitarian in his own right, presented the first Hillary Medal to Helen Cawley and Michael Schmitz on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ascent of Mount Everest.

The Hillary Medal is a project of Mountain Legacy, a Nepalese NGO (reg. #1018/060-61; www.mountainlegacy.org). It was fully authorized by Sir Edmund Hillary. Dr. Seth Sicroff serves as Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal Project Director.