Special Encore of "Surviving Everest" to Commemorate the Life of Sir Edmund Hillary

Expedition to Everest with the sons of the original climbers. Film includes Peter Hillary's poignant call to Sir Edmund from the summit

Sir Edmund Hillary, a former beekeeper from Auckland, New Zealand, along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, was first to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In celebration of his remarkable life, the National Geographic Channel (NGC) will air a special one-hour encore of the critically acclaimed special Surviving Everest this Saturday, January 12, at 10 PM ET/PT. The special takes viewers on a remarkable journey back to the summit with the sons of celebrated Everest climbers, including Hillary's son Peter, Jamling Norgay and Brent Bishop (son of Barry Bishop, a National Geographic explorer and a member of the first American team to achieve the summit). Following the same routes pioneered by their fathers decades ago, the National Geographic 50th Anniversary Everest Expedition attempts a perilous double-route ascent to meet at the top.

Propelled by the extreme climbing challenges of these second-generation climbers and driven by their unique experiences and life history, Surviving Everest takes an in-depth look at 50 years of tragedy and triumph, including early Everest expeditions and the bitter rivalries to summit the mountain. Shifting between the past and present, Hillary, Norgay and Bishop take viewers back in time, sharing accounts of their fathers' first ascents, the legendary role of the Sherpa people, and the dramatic events that have swept the region since the first ascent.

Throughout the special, Peter Hillary shares with viewers the intimate connection that he and his family have had with the Khumbu region and its people for 50 years, including the construction of 42 schools, hospitals and clinics, as well as the loss of his mother and youngest sister to a plane crash in the mountains. In a rare interview, Hillary also describes the controversial days that immediately followed his father's 1953 expedition.

"When my father first summited Everest, he was innocent, unaware that his whole life would be altered forever," said Hillary. "Much has changed since then, and my father has devoted his life to helping the Sherpas cope with the changes in the Khumbu region."

The 50th anniversary expedition was sponsored by the National Geographic Expeditions Council and made possible in part by the generous support of American International Group Inc.

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