Hanging on: A Life Inside British Climbing's Golden Age

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September 24th 2020 marks 45 years since Chris Bonington’s Everest Southwest Face 1975 expedition. The expedition succeeded in conquering the face but the expedition wasn’t without drama and tragedy. Here is a brief account of the famous British ascent. They stayed a while at the summit and by the time they started descending darkness and stormy weather soon arrived. Descending the gully seemed too dangerous and so they enlarged the snow cave and settled in for a frigid night at 8,760 metres. Warmer clothes had been left behind to save weight and their oxygen was spent. Their fuel ran out at about midnight. It is hard to imagine what a long and hellish night that was. Martin ‘Basher’ Atkinson, Andy Pollitt, Mark ‘Zippy’ Pretty, ‘Scottish’ Ben Masterson, Mark Leach, Craig Smith) Don’s most famous one-liner came on the Anglo-German Everest Expedition in1972. The deputy leader Felix Kuen came into the big tent at Camp Two and proudly announced to Don that he had just been listening to all India Radio: “I av just eard on ze radio that Vest Germany av beaten England at football zwei – zero. We av beaten you at your national game.” Don put down his mug of tea, narrowed his eyes to the merest slits, paused and said in a harsh whisper, “Aye, but we beat you at yours – twice.” In Buenos Aires. I was part of the Torre Egger expedition and Rab was part of a stalled expedition to Fitzroy waiting forever to clear customs.

Scott, Doug (2009). Doug Scott on Surviving Everest and The Ogre (video). Trail magazine – via YouTube. – Trail magazine 23 July 2009 video of interview with Doug Scott (includes his commentary on 1975 expedition): I have lots of good memories. 1959 is one of the best. It opened out all of the hard climbing of the day. Joe Brown and Don Whillans’ routes were being climbed for the first time. It was very exciting and I felt I was really breaking into the scene. As I said previously, we never planned ahead, so I couldn't be disappointed. In recent years, I have done a lot more sport climbing in the UK, a genre that Martin is not so keen on. I've tended to pursue that midweek when I am not with Martin. The Everest apprentice". Witness: On this Day 24 September. BBC. 24 September 1975. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016 . Retrieved 4 October 2014.

Dispatch

Curran, Jim (1999). "17. 'Big E' 1975". High achiever: the life and climbs of Chris Bonington. Robinson: John Constable. pp.149–162. ISBN 1-84119-261-9.

CLIMB: The glorious first of August at Gogarth has passed: all bird restrictions have now been lifted Alan James (for putting the boot into the turgid guidebook establishment, and sending a whole generation of climbers to Spain for their winter hols)The BBC documentary was produced by Ned Kelly and Chris Ralling and was narrated by John Castle. [80] [75] As to marketing, obviously it depends what you mean by important. But sadly I think the commodification of climbing has been the most important trend in the last 20 years, and I think BM’s been the main man in helping with that. Footless Crow was a breakthrough climb which at the time was the hardest climb in the Lakes at E5-6c (US 5-13a). Currently E6-6c due to a flake peeling off.