'Bit of a rark-up' from Sir Ed

Pete Strang makes his way up Mt Herschel. Photos: supplied.
Pete Strang makes his way up Mt Herschel. Photos: supplied.

When Pete Strang fell down a crevasse on an Antarctic expedition and lived to tell the story, little did he know the worst was yet to come.

Pete Strang, who  accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary on his expedition to climb Mt Herschel in the...
Pete Strang, who accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary on his expedition to climb Mt Herschel in the Antarctic in 1967. Photo: Linda Robertson.

The now retired Dunedin  man had been a young doctor and one of the  team members on what was Sir Edmund Hillary’s last big climbing venture — a successful attempt on unclimbed Mt Herschel (3335m) in 1967.

After watching the final of TVNZ’s popular mini-series Hillary last night, Dr Strang (75) recalled getting the telling-off of his life by  Sir Edmund following an incident on Mt Herschel.

"We got a little bit carried away with some of the skiing. A couple of us took the rope off and went on the other side of a glacier  instead of staying on the main route. We could see some nice slopes to ski on over there. 

"I went into a crevasse.

"I lived to tell the tale, but after I got dragged out of the crevasse, I got a bit of a  rark-up, which was totally reasonable.

"I never felt like Ed was throwing his power around or being condescending. He was a very good leader."

In the televised story of  Sir Edmund’s life, funded to the tune of $6.5 million by New Zealand on Air,  former Dunedin actors Andrew Munro and Amy Usherwood  play Sir  Edmund and his first wife Louise.

Sir Edmund relaxes.
Sir Edmund relaxes.
It includes episodes about  Sir Edmund’s early life, his beekeeping, the conquest of Everest and the South Pole, the  deaths of wife Louise and youngest daughter Belinda in a plane crash in 1975, his expedition up the Ganges, building schools in Nepal, and his spell as an ambassador to India.

Sir  Edmund’s expedition to Mt Herschel did not appear in the series.

Dr Strang said it was a fascinating show, but it was only "a half-picture" of Sir Ed.

"The series shows his irascible side, which was there. But his decision-making was superb and his organisational ability was outstanding.

"I think he was frustrated that other people didn’t have the same passion and drive that he had. And often they hadn’t worked things out like he had. He was very thorough."

‘‘He included people in the decision-making, but the casting vote was always his, and it was usually right on target — especially with his experience.‘‘Once he had made that decision, that was it. It was our job to just make it happen.

"In some ways, that was reassuring, particularly because that mountain had us a bit spooked."

He said there were constant avalanches, life-threatening weather conditions, and the danger of falling into crevasses, which put the team members on edge.

"We heard some huge avalanches taking off. It was pretty frightening.

"There were no helicopters there — no way for someone to come and get you if something went wrong.

"If you got caught on the back of that mountain, or anywhere in bad weather, you were in serious trouble. I think the challenges of surviving that would be pretty huge."

He said Sir Ed’s experience and his absolute attention to detail in terms of safety, helped to reassure the men.

"We climbed up to the high camp on Herschel one day, and a few hours later a couple of the guys came up from base camp and told us we had to go back down.

"We said, ‘Who’s telling us to come down?’ and they said Ed, because there was going to be a blizzard.

"We didn’t think the weather looked too bad, but we went back down and sure enough, Ed was right. It was a hell of a blizzard."

Dr Strang said there was another side of Sir Ed that was "a bit softer".

"He kept to himself quite a bit, but he was very friendly.

"He was interested in the things you were doing, and how you were [coping].

"I found him very good to work with."

Dr Strang said the series had stirred up fond memories of his time with Sir Ed and Louise.

"It’s been an emotional experience — quite profound, actually.

"I was in tears when the bit came on about Louise and Belinda being killed in the crash. We knew them so well.

"It’s been an honour and a privilege to have known them."

john.lewis@odt.co.nz

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement