New Zealand mountaineering great passes away

Thursday 2 November 2017

New Zealand mountaineering great passes away

New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) President, John Palmer, has today expressed his condolences to the families and friends of New Zealand mountaineering great, Norman Hardie, who passed away on Tuesday night at the age of 92.

Mr Palmer says “Norman was a kaumātua of the New Zealand mountaineering scene and will be sadly missed. As one of the pioneers of his time he made numerous first ascents both in New Zealand and the Himalaya, capped by the expedition success on Kangchenjunga in 1955, the third highest peak in the world.”

He says “Norman also contributed to important work with the NZAC, serving on committees for 20 years, as President from 1973 – 1975 and was a life member. He also served on the boards of the Arthur’s Pass National Park, the Himalayan Trust, and the Cragieburn Forest Park Committee for many years.”

Hardie retained an involvement with mountaineering throughout his life and gave a lecture on the 60th anniversary of the Kangchenjunga expedition in 2015 in Christchurch. Always a supporter of the various social events in the calendar, he will be keenly missed in the mountaineering community.

Background
The New Zealand Alpine Club was formed in 1891 and aims to promote and support climbing at all levels within New Zealand. The club has 4000 members, twelve regional sections and five full-time staff based at its headquarters in Christchurch. The scope of its activities are broad including publishing, the provision of 17 alpine huts and base lodges, instruction, advocacy, insurance and support for overseas climbing expeditions.

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