George Lowe (mountaineer) facts for kids
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Wallace George Lowe, known as George Lowe, was a New Zealand explorer, mountaineer, film director, and teacher. He was the last living member of the famous 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition. During this trip, his friend Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people known to reach the top of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. Sir Edmund Hillary was also from New Zealand and was a close friend and mentor to George.
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Early Life and First Adventures
George Lowe was born in Hastings, New Zealand, into a farming family. He went to Hastings High School and later to Wellington Teachers College. After finishing his studies, he started working as a teacher.
During his school holidays, George loved climbing in the Southern Alps in New Zealand. This is where he met his fellow New Zealander, Edmund Hillary.
In 1951, George Lowe and Edmund Hillary joined the first New Zealand expedition to the Himalayas. On this trip, other climbers, Earle Riddiford and Edmund Cotter, successfully climbed Mukut Parbat, a 7,242-meter (about 23,760 feet) peak in India. This amazing climb earned New Zealand two spots on a British team exploring Everest in 1951. Riddiford and Hillary took these spots.
The next year, in 1952, George Lowe went with Hillary to Nepal. They were part of an expedition to Cho Oyu. This trip aimed to study how the human body works at high altitudes and how much oxygen climbers needed. With Eric Shipton, the three New Zealanders explored the area around Mount Everest.
Conquering Everest and Other Journeys
In 1953, George Lowe was a key member of the 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition. This expedition was led by John Hunt. Hillary and Lowe were the only team members Hunt had not met before. However, others on the team knew them well. Hunt wrote that George's climbing skills on ice were "very high." He said George learned these skills from the great climbing opportunities in New Zealand.
During the Everest expedition, George Lowe helped prepare the climbing route. This route went from the Western Cwm up the Lhotse Face towards the South Col. This point was nearly 8,000 meters (about 26,247 feet) high.
On May 28, George Lowe, Alfred Gregory, and Sherpa Ang Nyima carried heavy supplies. They set out with Hillary and Tenzing. Their job was to support Hillary and Tenzing's attempt to reach the summit. They set up Camp IX at 8,500 meters (about 27,887 feet). Then, Lowe, Gregory, and Ang Nyima went back down to the South Col. The very next day, May 29, Hillary and Tenzing successfully reached the top of Mount Everest!
As Hillary and Tenzing climbed down to the South Col, George Lowe met them. It was then that Hillary famously said, "Well, George, we knocked the bastard off." George Lowe also filmed a documentary during the expedition. It was called The Conquest of Everest. This film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
In 1954, George joined Hillary again for a New Zealand expedition to Makalu. This trip was not successful. However, during this journey, Lowe met Vivian Fuchs. Fuchs invited him to join the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. This expedition took place between 1955 and 1958. The team crossed Antarctica, becoming the first to reach the South Pole by land since Roald Amundsen in 1911 and Robert Falcon Scott in 1912. They also mapped a lot of the continent. At the South Pole, George was met by Hillary. Hillary had led a team finding a route from the other side. George Lowe also worked on the film about this expedition, called The Crossing Of Antarctica.
In 1960, he was part of the 1960–61 Silver Hut expedition to the Himalayas with Hillary. This trip was to study how people's bodies reacted to high altitudes with Griffith Pugh. They also looked for the Yeti around Rowaling.
Over the next ten years, George went on many expeditions with the John Hunt Exploration Group. These trips were for young people. They went to places like Greenland, Greece, and Ethiopia. He also joined Hunt on an expedition to the Pamirs with a team from Britain and Russia.
Helping Others
In 1989, George Lowe helped start the Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust UK. This charity helps the Sherpa people in the Himalayas. It works to improve their communities and build important things like schools and hospitals. George Lowe was the first chairman of the trust, from 1989 to 2003. He continued to be a Trustee until 2008. After that, he became the Patron, taking over from Sir Chris Bonington.
Personal Life
George Lowe settled in England. In 1962, he married Susan Hunt, who was the daughter of Lord Hunt. They had three sons together. George and Susan moved to Chile, where he worked as the Headmaster (Rector) of The Grange school in Santiago until 1966.
Later, after his first marriage ended, he married Mary. She was also a former teacher and schools inspector. George himself became an Inspector of Schools for the Department of Education and Science. He retired from this job in 1984. His memories of the Everest climb were published in a book in 2013. This was the sixtieth anniversary of that amazing expedition.
Later Years
George Lowe passed away on March 20, 2013. He was 89 years old and lived in a nursing home in Ripley, Derbyshire, England. He had been dealing with Alzheimer's disease for several years.
