Sir Edmund Hillary who, along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, climbed Mount Everest in 1953, has died at the age of 88.

Sir Edmund began climbing mountains in his native New Zealand as a teenager and soon earned renown as an ice climber.

The expedition in which the successful Everest ascent took place was led by British climber Sir John Hunt.

By 29 May 1953, when Sir Edmund and the rest of his team made their bid, seven previous expeditions to the top of the mountain had failed.

The mountaineers were called upon to share their experiences with TV audiences worldwide.

And Sir Edmund Hillary wrote a book about the climb.

Thanks to his triumph Sir Edmund was honoured with numerous awards. Here he receives a Gold Medal from former Indian President Rajendra Prasad.

Sir Edmund's love of exploring also took him to the Antarctic in the 1950s.

In 2003, Sir Edmund travelled to Kathmandu for celebrations marking the Everest expedition's 50th anniversary.

Even well into his 80s Sir Edmund kept his adventurous streak, here returning to the Antarctic in 2007.