Doug Scott

Douglas Keith Scott CBE (29 May 1941 – 7 December 2020[1]) was an English mountaineer, noted for being on the team that made the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. In receiving one of mountaineering's highest honours, the Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award, his personal style and climbs were described as "visionary".[2]

For other people named Douglas Scott, see Douglas Scott (disambiguation).

Doug Scott

CBE
Scott in 2015
Born
Douglas Keith Scott

(1941-05-29)29 May 1941
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK
Died7 December 2020(2020-12-07) (aged 79)
Cumbria, England, UK
CitizenshipBritish
Occupation(s)Mountaineer, author
OrganizationPast President of the Alpine Club
Known forAscent of Mount Everest
AwardsRoyal Geographic Society Gold Medal ; Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award

Over the years he was on 40 expeditions to the high mountains of Asia, during which he made some 30 first ascents. In 2020 he was diagnosed with cancer, and he died of the disease in December 2020.[3]

Early life

Scott was born in Nottingham, England, and was the eldest of three sons. Scott would later discover that his mother was born at almost the exact same time as famed mountaineer Edmund Hillary, which Scott felt was an uncanny coincidence.[4]

Scott was educated in Nottingham at Cottesmore Secondary Modern and Mundella Grammar schools.[5] He started climbing at the age of 13, his interest sparked by seeing climbers on the Black Rocks in Derbyshire whilst hiking with the Scouts.[6][7] His father, George Douglas Scott, was a policeman and amateur boxer, who was the Amateur Boxing Association 1945 British Heavyweight Champion.[8] His father gave up the game to focus on the family.[8] Scott lived on the outskirts of Nottingham with his father and mother, Edith Joyce Scott, and younger brothers, Brian and Garry. All were encouraged towards the open countryside, particularly the Peak District.[9]

After two years at Loughborough Teachers' Training College (1959–61), Scott taught geography, history, PE and games for ten years at his old secondary modern school.[10]

Career

Mountaineering

Scott was regarded as one of the world's leading high-altitude and big-wall climbers[11][12] and was the recipient of numerous awards for his achievements.[13] He was the first English person to reach the summit of Mount Everest and, on the descent, he survived an unplanned bivouac with Dougal Haston 100 metres below the summit, without oxygen, sleeping bags and, as it turned out, without frostbite.[8][14] Apart from his first ascent of the southwest face of Everest with Haston in 1975, all his other Himalayan climbs were achieved in lightweight or pure Alpine style. He pioneered big wall climbing on Baffin Island, Mount Kenya and in the Karakoram, famously on The Ogre with Chris Bonington, and later on Shivling in the Indian Himalayas.[15]

Scott was a founder member of the Nottingham Climbers Club (1961), president of the Alpine Climbing Group (1976–82), vice president of the British Mountaineering Council (1994–97) and president of the Alpine Club (1999–2001).[16] He was made a CBE in 1994.[16] In 1999 he was awarded the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society.[17] In 2005 he was presented with the Golden Eagle Award by the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild.[18] Also in 2005, following on from Tom Weir and Adam Watson, he became the third recipient of the John Muir Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his mountaineering accomplishments and commitment to conservation and supporting mountain people and mountain environments around the world.[19] Following on from Walter Bonatti and Reinhold Messner he received the Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award in Chamonix in 2011.[20]

Scott was made a Freeman of the City of Nottingham in 1976 and has since had a Nottingham tram named after him.[21] He was awarded an honorary MA by the universities of Nottingham and Loughborough, 1993; Hon. MEd Nottingham Trent, 1995; Hon Dr. Derby University, 2007;[22] and Hon Dr. Loughborough University, 2017.[23]

Charity work in Nepal

Doug Scott.
Doug Scott in Nepal in 2015.

During Scott's climbing career, his understanding of the culture and the people in the regions where he climbed grew as he formed strong bonds and relationships. In 1991 he raised the funds and organised the installation of 17 fresh-water standpipes in Askole, the last settlement before K2, that reduced infant mortality by half.[24][25] He founded the charity Community Action Nepal (CAN), and spent much of his time fundraising for this cause and regularly visited some of the 60 CAN projects out in Nepal.[26][27] Scott was also an advocate of responsible tourism, setting up Community Action Treks (CAT) in 1989 to help improve conditions of labour in the trekking industry.[28] He received the British Guild of Travel Writers Tourism and Community Merit Award 1996, and CAT received the Responsible Tourism Award 2008.[29] CAN was awarded the first British Expertise International (BEI) Charity Project of the Year Award along with CAN's partner, WYG, in 2017.[30]

Volunteering

Scott held various volunteering positions within the mountaineering community. He was a member of the Hunt Committee contributing to the Hunt Report on Outdoor Education 1976. He was British Mountaineering Council (BMC) representative on the UIAA and a member of the UIAA Management Committee 2008–2012; member of UIAA Mountaineering Commission and chairman of the Traditional Values Working Group 2011 until his death.[31][32] He was chairman of Mount Everest Foundation 2014–2017 and vice chairman of the Mountain Heritage Trust 2014–2017.[8] He was an honorary member of the Climbers Club, the Alpine Club and the American Alpine Club.[32] He was a vice president of the BMC between 1994 and 1997 and went on to become a patron of the BMC in 2015.[32]

Career highlights

Highlights of Scott's climbing career include:[33][16]

Personal life

In 1962 he married Janice Brook, with whom he had three children, Michael, Martha and Rosie.[34] The marriage was dissolved in 1988. In 1993 he married Indian climber, Sharavati Prabhu, with whom he had two sons, Arran and Euan.[35][36] The marriage was dissolved in 2003.[37] In 2007 he married Patricia Lang, residing together in the Northern Fells of the Lake District.[37]

In March 2020, Scott was diagnosed with inoperable cerebral lymphoma.[38] He died at his home in Cumbria, England of the disease on 7 December 2020, aged 79.[39][38][40]

Books

He authored:

  • Doug Scott, Big Wall Climbing, ISBN 0-7182-0967-2
  • Doug Scott and Alex MacIntyre, The Shishapangma Expedition,[41] ISBN 0-89886-723-1
  • Doug Scott, Himalayan Climber: A Lifetime's Quest to the World's Greater Ranges, ISBN 1-898573-16-6
  • Doug Scott, Up and About, The Hard Road to Everest[42] (2015) ISBN 978-1-910240-41-0
  • Doug Scott, "The Ogre"[43] (2017) ISBN 978-1-911342-79-3
  • Doug Scott, "Kangchenjunga"[44] (2021) ISBN 978-1-912560-19-6

He contributed to:

  • Everest the Hard Way (Chris Bonington, 1976) ISBN 0-340-20833-3
  • Great Climbs (Chris Bonington, 1994) ISBN 9781857325744
  • General editor of Philip's Guide to Mountains (Philip's, 2005) ISBN 978-0540085798
  • Himalaya: The exploration and conquest of the greatest mountains on earth (Phillip Parker, 2013) ISBN 978-1-844862-21-4

See also

References
  1. "NEWSFLASH: Doug Scott dies aged 79". Ukclimbing.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. Piolet d'Or "Piolet d'or carrière 2011". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  3. Hellen, Nicholas. "Everest legend's final ascent: up the stairs at home". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. Doug Scott (2 November 2015). Up and About: The Hard Road to Everest. Vertebrate Publishing. ISBN 978-1-910240-42-7. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  5. "SCHOOLS Cottesmore School". The Educated School Guide. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  6. "EverestHistory.com: Doug Scott". Everest History. Archived from the original on 4 December 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2004.
  7. Lewis, Jeremy (3 October 2017). "Mountaineer Doug Scott in Nottingham to re-live his struggle with 'The Ogre'". NottinghamshireLive. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  8. "Doug Scott obituary". The Guardian. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  9. "Legends Series: Doug Scott, 1941-2020". Explorersweb. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  10. Wright, John (12 August 2018). "Mountaineer Doug Scott: 'Everest? I'm more worried about online banking'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  11. "Piolets d'Or - 2011 - Doug Scott". pioletsdor.net. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  12. Schaufele, Tim (18 October 2018). "Vancouver International Film Festival: Interview with Legendary Alpinist Doug Scott". Squamish Climbing Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  13. Scott, Doug (November 2010). "Awards and Recognition in Climbing" (PDF). Alpine Journal. 11–2010: 73–83. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  14. "Doug Scott, Leading Alpinist and Survivor of Highest Open Bivy on Everest, Dies at 79". Rock and Ice. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  15. "Watch Doug Scott Talk About Surviving Ogre and Everest". Gripped Magazine. 10 November 2018. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  16. "Biographical | Doug Scott Mountaineering". Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  17. "Doug Scott, Titan of British mountaineering, dies". www.thebmc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  18. "The OWPG - Words and Pictures from the Outdoors". myoutdoors.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  19. "Trust gives Lifetime Achievement Award to US environmental campaigner". John Muir Trust. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  20. "Piolet d'Or 2011: the nominations, Doug Scott receives Lifetime Achievement, and all the evenings". PlanetMountain.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  21. "Honorary Freemen and Freemen". Nottinghamcity.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  22. "Honorary Graduates". Derby.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  23. "Honorary Loughborough degree for mountaineer who conquered the Ogre with two broken legs". Loughborough University. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  24. "Doug Scott reveals the truth behind his dramatic first ascent of the Ogre in 1977". myoutdoors.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  25. "The Ogre – Read the dramatic story of the first ascent – UIAA". Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  26. "COMMUNITY ACTION NEPAL BECOMES SIXTH RECIPIENT OF UIAA MOUNTAIN PROTECTION AWARD – UIAA". Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  27. "Doug Scott: Everest summit mountaineer dies aged 79". BBC News. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  28. Treks, Community Action (9 April 2012). "Responsible Tourism | Community Action Treks". Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  29. "2005 Responsible Tourism Award winners". responsibletravel.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  30. "WYG and Community Action Nepal winners at British Expertise International Awards 2017 | WYG | Global Consultancy". www.wyg.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  31. "UIAA General Assembly report". www.thebmc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  32. "Doug Scott, Titan of British mountaineering, dies". www.thebmc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  33. "Watch Doug Scott Talk About Surviving Ogre and Everest". Gripped Magazine. 10 November 2018. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  34. "Death of top climber's former wife who taught in Keswick". Cwherald.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  35. "EverestHistory.com: Doug Scott". www.everestnews.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  36. "Teenagers on the march in memory of heroic World War I nurse". webcache.googleusercontent.com. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  37. "Doug Scott, Leading Alpinist and Survivor of Highest Open Bivy on Everest, Dies at 79". Rock and Ice. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  38. Brown, Nick (7 December 2020). "Doug Scott dies aged 79". UKH News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  39. Gross, Jenny (8 December 2020). "Doug Scott, Part of First Team to Summit Everest by Southwest Face, Dies at 79". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  40. "Doug Scott: Everest summit mountaineer dies aged 79". BBC News. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  41. Publishing, Adventure Books by Vertebrate. "Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing - your adventures start here". Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  42. Publishing, Adventure Books by Vertebrate. "Up and About". Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  43. Publishing, Adventure Books by Vertebrate. "The Ogre". Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  44. Publishing, Adventure Books by Vertebrate. "Kangchenjunga". Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
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