>>1869227One of his biographers called him the Last Hero.
>fought in world war one at the age of 18>went to Kenya to start a coffee farm>climbed Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya and explored the remote Rwenzori mountains>bicycled across africa because he got bored>went to the Himalayas where he penetrated for the first time in history the illustrious Nanda Devi Sanctuary, one of the greatest features in the history of mountain exploration, after which he went on to climb it thus establishing a mountaineering record which lasted till the French climbed Annapurna (which an expedition lead by him incidentally almost first-ascended too)>went to Everest several times where his pioneering work paved the way for later expeditions>volunteered for military service when world war two broke out despite being already of middle age>refused promotions so he could keep actively participating in combat with his men>was send behind enemy lines in albania and italy where he above all enjoyed the mountain scenery>explored the Karakorum and Xinjiang>explored Hindu Kush to find the source of the ancient Oxus river>one of the first Europeans to visit Namche Bazar>one of the first westerners to explore Nepal after it opened its borders for foreigners>when he deemed himself too old for extreme mountaineering he picked up sailing>sailed to the north pole and antarctica for 20 years>actively avoided women and cringed at the proposal to bring a married couple on board>died a viking's death at the age of 79 while sailing to antarctic islands to explore uncharted mountains>prolific writer who authored 20 books 