Doug Scott obituary

Doug Scott, left, and Hamish MacInnes in an icefall on Everest in 1975. Photograph: PA

Doug Scott obituary

Famous English mountaineer has died from cancer aged 79

Posted on 10.12.2020

First Englishman to climb Everest who dedicated his later years to Buddhism and helping the people of Nepal

Doug Scott, who has died aged 79 from cancer, was the first Englishman to climb Everest, but it was what happened afterwards that made him famous in the mountaineering world.

Scott and his Scottish partner, Dougal Haston, were part of Chris Bonington’s 1975 expedition to climb Everest the “hard way”, via the south-west face. Having left their top camp soon after dawn, the pair faced testing delays as Haston’s oxygen equipment iced up and unconsolidated snow, chest-deep in places, slowed their progress. It was already 3.30pm when they finally reached the lower south summit where the two climbers paused to melt snow for a much-needed drink.

Should they go on? Haston suggested stopping for the night but Scott reasoned it was better to push on and get it done. Two hours later, at around 6pm, they were at the top.

Understandably, famous stories of hardship and human endurance are sometimes overshadowed the complexities of a man who saw his life in the mountains as part of a spiritual journey, studied Buddhism and dedicated his later years to helping the people of Nepal.

Always generous with his friendship, as he entered middle age Scott became a mentor to new generations inspired by the idea of lightweight climbing and the ideas he espoused. Sir Chris Bonington called him “a tribal chieftain” – when his climbing career wound down he was president of the Alpine Club, standing up for what he saw as the sport’s ethical soul.

Highlights of Scott's climbing career ...

Source: Wikipedia

RIP Douglas Keith Scott
Mountaineer
Born 29 May 1941; died 7 December 2020

Source

The Guardian

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