Erm, not Hillary's original axe though, but a limited
edition hand-crafted replica of the Everest first ascender's
original tool, signed by the man himself.
The ice axe was commissioned to mark the 50th
anniversary of the first ascent of Everest in 2003 - hence the 2,003
axes produced - and is an exact replica of the original.
That means the shaft is made of ash, the head and spike are
stainless steel and hot wax moulded from Sir Edmund's original axe.
Apparently the moulding means that the replica reveals marks actually
made during the ascent.
The axe is housed in its own rose-wood display case with a 4mm
glass front, so you can see it ;-) As well as Hillary's signature on
the shaft, it also comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity
personally signed by Dame Catherine Tizzard, Chairperson of the Sir
Edmund Hillary Trust.
And the price of the having a signed replica of Ed's axe? Er, a
mere £2,250 including VAT and UK delivery. If you bulk order
five or more, you have 'the option of customising the presentation to
include media such as photos, logos or dedications.' You'll also get
ten per-cent off.
For acution purposes, it says here, 'the axe can be supplied on a
'Sale or Return' basis with a mutually-agreed reserve price'.
Finally ten per-cent of the price of each axe sold goes to the
Hillary Trust, which works to improve rural villages in Nepal.
So, if you have an ice axe shaped gap on your mantlepiece and a
spare two thousand quid burning a hole in your pocket, check out
