Dougal Haston

Dougal burst onto the mountaineering scene in the late '1950s by climbing new routes in Scotland together with Robin Smith. He went on to make an initial English ascent of the Eigerwand, was a major force in the creation of the direct Eiger, took ...

Dougal burst onto the mountaineering scene in the late 1950s by climbing new routes in Scotland together with Robin Smith. He went on to make an initial British ascent of the Eigerwand, was a major force in the creation of the direct Eiger, took over the International School of Mountaineering after Harlin died, summited the south face of Annapurna with Whillans, and the Southwest Face of Everest with Scott. Haston, together with Doug Scott, was the first Briton to climb Everest in 1975 with the first ascent of the Southwest Face.

 He also took part in the first ascent of the Southwest Face of Mount McKinlay in Alaska in 1976. He was a member of the British team that conquered the south face of Annapurna in Nepal in 1970. Haston was killed by an avalanche while skiing in Switzerland in 1977 (ironically, he was killed in the exact way one of his characters was sent in his unfinished novel CALCULATED RISK.)

 

There is a memorial plaque for Haston on the Currie railway bridge - where he used to climb as a kid.

 

 

Winter ascent of the north face of the Matterhorn in Switzerland, 1967

First ascent of Changabang, India, 1974

First ascent of the north face of the Eiger direct, Switzerland, 1966