The Lake District will feature prominently in a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1975 British expedition to climb the south west face of Everest.
Led by Sir Chris Bonington, the expedition saw Doug Scott and Dougal Haston become the first Brits to successfully summit the world’s highest mountain, by a route that had never been completed before.
Half a century later, a programme of events in the Lake District and London, sponsored by British outdoor brand Berghaus, will celebrate the achievement and raise funds for the Cumbrian-based charity Community Action Nepal, which was founded by Doug.
Sir Chris’ book, Everest the Hard Way, is being reprinted in a special 50th anniversary edition, with a new foreword by Sir Chris.
The publication will coincide with an exhibition at Heaton Cooper Gallery in Grasmere from August 14 to September.
Free to enter, it will feature the celebrated mountain photography of Sir Chris and Doug, and displays of climbing gear, expedition equipment and personal items from the climb, some on public display for the first time.
Sir Chris lives in Cumbria, as did Doug until his death in 2020, where he ran Community Action Nepal.
Doug founded CAN to improve the standard of living in remote Himalayan communities and give something back to the mountain people who had helped him to achieve his mountaineering goals.
In 2015, the Sherpa Heritage House, which is in the village of Khumjung in the Khumbu region of Nepal, was badly damaged in the devastating earthquake that hit the area.
The house is the ancestral home of Pertemba Sherpa, who was a member of the 1975 expedition. Following the disaster, Doug promised Pertemba that CAN would raise funds to rebuild it, and also increase its support of the local people in other ways.
Doug was unable to complete that project before he died, but Sir Chris promised to continue the work when he turned 90 last year, and the Everest the Hard Way 50th anniversary programme will raise funds for the campaign.
The series of anniversary events will conclude in London over two nights. On Wednesday September 24, 50 years to the day since Doug and Dougal stood on the summit of Everest, the Royal Geographical Society will host an evening of conversation with expedition members and special guests, featuring archive film footage and images.
Sir Chris will attend, along with 1975 team members Pertemba Sherpa, Ang Phurba Sherpa, Mike Thompson, Paul ‘Tut’ Braithwaite, Martin Boysen, Mike Rhodes, Charlie Clarke, Adrian Gordon, and Arthur Chesterton, who covered the trip for the BBC. Doug’s widow Trish and his daughter will be there, and it is hoped that Dougal’s family will also be represented, while other prominent names from the climbing community are due to attend
On Thursday September 25, CAN will host a VIP gala dinner in London. During the evening, Bonhams will conclude an auction of 1975 Everest expedition items and other mountaineering memorabilia, that will also run online.
Among around 30 lots in the auction will be some unique items, including Doug’s summit suit from 1975, and other equipment from the expedition.
Money raised by the auction, and through other 50th anniversary events and initiatives, will contribute to the Sherpa Heritage House project. CAN has so far raised over £150,000 for the house and has completed the construction of the complex religious wing, but more is needed to complete phase two, which will see the house transformed into a museum, photography gallery, and tea house, to raise the income of the local community.
Sir Chris said: “The 1975 Everest expedition was a pivotal moment in my climbing career and my life, and of course it has a cherished place in British mountaineering history, and wider culture.
“The expedition itself was a mammoth undertaking and was of its time. Achieving a new route by the south west face was a huge achievement, albeit affected by the tragedy of the deaths of Mick Burke and Mingma Nuru.
“In an era before 24-hour rolling news, social media or even mobile telephones, the traditional media operation that updated the rest of the world was not instant and added to the drama and anticipation.
“Everest the Hard Way was my attempt to capture all of that and I hope that the new edition appeals to a new generation of readers, and that the exhibition brings the climb to life even more for those who visit.
“I am so excited to be meeting up with team members who are still with us and telling the story again to a packed room at the Royal Geographical Society. Doug, Dougal, Mick, Mingma and others who we have lost won’t be there in person, but they will certainly be very present nonetheless, and we will all be doing our best to help fulfil Doug’s promise to Pertemba.”
