Shipton, Eric Earle (1907-1977), a Sri Lankan-born mountaineer and author, took part in several expeditions to Mount Everest. In 1935, he led a small reconnaissance climb to look for new routes to the summit. He joined Edmund Hillary in 1951 to study new areas round the mountain. In 1952, he led the final preparatory expedition before Sir John Hunt’s successful expedition in 1953. He tested foods and oxygen equipment, examined the south approach, and helped blaze the final trail.
Shipton was born on Aug. 1, 1907, in Hatton, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Before 1931, he took part in extensive climbing expeditions in Africa. From 1958 to 1964, he took part in six expeditions to Patagonia in South America. Shipton wrote several books about his travels and expeditions. They include Nanda Devi (1936), Blank on the Map (1938), Upon a Mountain (1948), Mountains of Tartary (1951), and Land of Tempest (1963). He also wrote an autobiography, The Untravelled World (1969). He died on March 28, 1977.
See also Hillary, Sir Edmund Percival; Hunt, Lord.
