Nepalese mountaineer to take Edmund Hillary's ashes up Everest

A Nepalese mountaineer has announced he will scatter the ashes of explorer Sir Edmund Hillary at Mount Everest's peak. Apa Sherpa, who is attempting a world-record 20th ascent of Everest, said he wanted to honour the New Zealander, who reached the peak in 1953.

Sir Edmund died in 2008 and some of his ashes were spread in Auckland harbour. Apa said the rest of the ashes had been stored at a Buddhist monastery in eastern Nepal, and he would take them on his expedition starting on 6 April.



Apa, 50, said he had met Sir Edmund many times and would pray for him at the summit. "Without him we would have no clinics, and we would have no schools," he said. "So I am very happy to take his ashes with me to the summit."

Apa's 19 successful climbs already constitute a world record for the greatest number of ascents of the 8,847m (29,028ft) peak.