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Doug Scott

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For other people named Douglas Scott, seeDouglas 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 theAlpine Club
Known forAscent ofMount Everest
AwardsRoyal Geographic SocietyGold Medal;Piolet d'OrLifetime Achievement Award

Douglas Keith ScottCBE(29 May 1941 – 7 December 2020[1]) was an Englishmountaineerand climbing author, noted for being on the team that made thefirst ascent of the south-west face of Mount Evereston 24 September 1975. In receiving one of mountaineering's highest honours, thePiolet d'OrLifetime Achievement Award, his personal style and his climbs were described as "visionary".[2]

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

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Scott was born inNottingham,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 mountaineerEdmund Hillary,which Scott felt was an uncanny coincidence.[4]

Scott was educated in Nottingham at Cottesmore Secondary Modern andMundella Grammarschools.[5]He started climbing at the age of 13, his interest sparked by seeing climbers on theBlack Rocksin Derbyshire whilst hiking with the Scouts.[6][7]His father, George Douglas Scott, was a policeman and amateur boxer, who was theAmateur Boxing Association1945British 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 thePeak 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

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Mountaineering

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Scott was considered 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 ofMount Everestand, on the descent, he survived an unplanned bivouac withDougal Haston100 metres below the summit, without oxygen, sleeping bags and, as it turned out, withoutfrostbite.[8][14]Apart from hisfirst ascent of the southwest face of Everestwith Haston in 1975, all his other Himalayan climbs were achieved in lightweight or pureAlpine style.He pioneeredbig wall climbingonBaffin Island,Mount Kenyaand in theKarakoram,famously onThe OgrewithChris Bonington,and later onShivlingin theIndian Himalayas.[15]

Scott was a founder member of the Nottingham Climbers Club (1961), president of the Alpine Climbing Group (1976–82), vice president of theBritish Mountaineering Council(1994–97) and president of theAlpine Club(1999–2001).[16]He was made aCBEin 1994.[16]In 1999 he was awarded thePatron's Medalof theRoyal Geographical Society.[17]In 2005 he was presented with the Golden Eagle Award by theOutdoor Writers and Photographers Guild.[18]Also in 2005, following on fromTom WeirandAdam Watson,he became the third recipient of theJohn Muir Trust Lifetime Achievement Awardin recognition of his mountaineering accomplishments and commitment to conservation and supportingmountain peopleand mountain environments around the world.[19]Following on fromWalter BonattiandReinhold Messnerhe received thePiolet d'OrLifetime 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

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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 inAskole,the last settlement beforeK2,that reduced infant mortality by half.[24][25]He along with his wife Sharu Prabhu founded the charityCommunity 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 & Prabhu were also advocates ofresponsible tourism& set up Community Action Treks (CAT) in 1989 to help improve conditions of labour in the trekking industry.[28]He received theBritish Guild of Travel WritersTourism 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

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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 wasBritish Mountaineering Council(BMC) representative on theUIAAand 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 theAmerican 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

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

Personal life

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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 theNorthern Fellsof theLake District.[37]

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

Books

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He authored:

  • Doug Scott,Big Wall Climbing,ISBN0-7182-0967-2
  • Doug Scott and Alex MacIntyre,The Shishapangma Expedition,[41]ISBN0-89886-723-1
  • Doug Scott,Himalayan Climber: A Lifetime's Quest to the World's Greater Ranges,ISBN1-898573-16-6
  • Doug Scott,Up and About, The Hard Road to Everest[42](2015)ISBN978-1-910240-41-0
  • Doug Scott, "The Ogre"[43](2017)ISBN978-1-911342-79-3
  • Doug Scott, "Kangchenjunga"[44](2021)ISBN978-1-912560-19-6

He contributed to:

See also

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References

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  1. ^"NEWSFLASH: Doug Scott dies aged 79".Ukclimbing.com.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved7 December2020.
  2. ^Piolet d'Or"Piolet d'or carrière 2011".Archived fromthe originalon 15 July 2011.Retrieved4 August2011.
  3. ^Hellen, Nicholas."Everest legend's final ascent: up the stairs at home".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Archivedfrom the original on 9 August 2020.Retrieved11 August2020.
  4. ^Doug Scott (2 November 2015).Up and About: The Hard Road to Everest.Vertebrate Publishing.ISBN978-1-910240-42-7.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved24 September2020.
  5. ^"SCHOOLS Cottesmore School".The Educated School Guide. Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2014.Retrieved9 December2014.
  6. ^"EverestHistory.com: Doug Scott".Everest History.Archivedfrom the original on 4 December 2004.Retrieved17 December2004.
  7. ^Lewis, Jeremy (3 October 2017)."Mountaineer Doug Scott in Nottingham to re-live his struggle with 'The Ogre'".NottinghamshireLive.Archivedfrom the original on 29 October 2020.Retrieved21 October2020.
  8. ^abcd"Doug Scott obituary".The Guardian.7 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  9. ^"Legends Series: Doug Scott, 1941-2020".Explorersweb.7 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  10. ^Wright, John (12 August 2018)."Mountaineer Doug Scott: 'Everest? I'm more worried about online banking'".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Archivedfrom the original on 23 October 2020.Retrieved21 October2020.
  11. ^"Piolets d'Or - 2011 - Doug Scott".pioletsdor.net.Archivedfrom the original on 23 October 2020.Retrieved21 October2020.
  12. ^Schaufele, Tim (18 October 2018)."Vancouver International Film Festival: Interview with Legendary Alpinist Doug Scott".Squamish Climbing Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 24 October 2020.Retrieved21 October2020.
  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.Retrieved21 October2020.
  14. ^"Doug Scott, Leading Alpinist and Survivor of Highest Open Bivy on Everest, Dies at 79".Rock and Ice.7 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  15. ^"Watch Doug Scott Talk About Surviving Ogre and Everest".Gripped Magazine.10 November 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  16. ^abc"Biographical | Doug Scott Mountaineering".Archivedfrom the original on 26 October 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  17. ^"Doug Scott, Titan of British mountaineering, dies".www.thebmc.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  18. ^"The OWPG - Words and Pictures from the Outdoors".myoutdoors.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  19. ^"Trust gives Lifetime Achievement Award to US environmental campaigner".John Muir Trust.Archivedfrom the original on 27 June 2018.Retrieved8 December2020.
  20. ^"Piolet d'Or 2011: the nominations, Doug Scott receives Lifetime Achievement, and all the evenings".PlanetMountain.com.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  21. ^"Honorary Freemen and Freemen".Nottinghamcity.gov.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved21 October2020.
  22. ^"Honorary Graduates".Derby.ac.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2020.Retrieved21 October2020.
  23. ^"Honorary Loughborough degree for mountaineer who conquered the Ogre with two broken legs".Loughborough University.Archivedfrom the original on 28 July 2017.Retrieved21 October2020.
  24. ^"Doug Scott reveals the truth behind his dramatic first ascent of the Ogre in 1977".myoutdoors.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  25. ^"The Ogre – Read the dramatic story of the first ascent – UIAA".Archivedfrom the original on 28 September 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  26. ^"COMMUNITY ACTION NEPAL BECOMES SIXTH RECIPIENT OF UIAA MOUNTAIN PROTECTION AWARD – UIAA".Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2020.Retrieved21 October2020.
  27. ^"Doug Scott: Everest summit mountaineer dies aged 79".BBC News.7 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  28. ^Treks, Community Action (9 April 2012)."Responsible Tourism | Community Action Treks".Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  29. ^"2005 Responsible Tourism Award winners".responsibletravel.com.Archivedfrom the original on 22 September 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  30. ^"WYG and Community Action Nepal winners at British Expertise International Awards 2017 | WYG | Global Consultancy".www.wyg.com.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  31. ^"UIAA General Assembly report".www.thebmc.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  32. ^abc"Doug Scott, Titan of British mountaineering, dies".www.thebmc.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  33. ^"Watch Doug Scott Talk About Surviving Ogre and Everest".Gripped Magazine.10 November 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  34. ^"Death of top climber's former wife who taught in Keswick".Cwherald.com.Archivedfrom the original on 22 October 2020.Retrieved21 October2020.
  35. ^"EverestHistory.com: Doug Scott".www.everestnews.com.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  36. ^"Teenagers on the march in memory of heroic World War I nurse".www.cwherald.com.Archived fromthe originalon 14 February 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  37. ^ab"Doug Scott, Leading Alpinist and Survivor of Highest Open Bivy on Everest, Dies at 79".Rock and Ice.7 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  38. ^abBrown, Nick (7 December 2020)."Doug Scott dies aged 79".UKH News.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2020.Retrieved7 December2020.
  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.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved9 December2020.
  40. ^"Doug Scott: Everest summit mountaineer dies aged 79".BBC News.7 December 2020.Retrieved8 December2020.
  41. ^Publishing, Adventure Books by Vertebrate."Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing - your adventures start here".Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing.Retrieved19 May2022.
  42. ^Publishing, Adventure Books by Vertebrate."Up and About".Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing.Retrieved19 May2022.
  43. ^Publishing, Adventure Books by Vertebrate."The Ogre".Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing.Retrieved19 May2022.
  44. ^Publishing, Adventure Books by Vertebrate."Kangchenjunga".Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing.Retrieved19 May2022.
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