Dougal Haston

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Dougal Haston (born April 19, 1940 in Currie , Edinburgh , † January 17, 1977 in Leysin ) was a Scottish extreme mountaineer.

Alpinistic achievements

Haston came to mountaineering through hiking in the Scottish Highlands and climbing walls and buildings . He achieved his most remarkable alpine achievements in the 1960s and 1970s, when he was one of the British mountaineering elite. In 1966 he climbed the north face of the Eiger with John Harlin on a new, direct route ( Direttissima ); Harlin was killed in the process. On May 27, 1970 he was successful together with Don Whillans on Annapurna , the south face of which he climbed for the first time. In 1974 Haston succeeded in the first ascent of Changabang in the Indian Himalayas ; In 1975 he (after an unsuccessful attempt with Don Whillans in 1971, which ended at 8,350 m) finally climbed Mount Everest together with Doug Scott as the first Briton ; this ascent was the first ascent over the southwest face. This venture was best known for the fact that Haston and Scott were forced to bivouac in the open air early on during the descent, still well over 8500 m altitude , which they fortunately survived unscathed. In 1970 on Annapurna and in 1975 on Mount Everest, the famous English climber Chris Bonington was the expedition leader. In 1975 - after climbing Everest - Haston managed a first ascent in the southwest face of Mount McKinley .

Later Haston was the director of the International Mountaineering School in Leysin ( Switzerland ). He died in an avalanche skiing in the vicinity of this place in 1977.

lifestyle

Dougal Haston's lifestyle can be described as excessive to breakneck. His escapades ranged from daring, extremely risky climbing activities to climbing churches, where women's underwear was placed clearly visible on the top of the tower, to theft and alcohol abuse. In 1965, while under the influence of alcohol, he caused a car accident that killed a person and served a prison term. Due to his sensational alpine achievements, relaxed lifestyle and early death, Dougal Haston became a charismatic cult figure for many.

literature

  • Dougal Haston: In High Places . Cassell, London 1973
  • Dougal Haston: Calculated Risk . Diadem Books, London 1979
  • Dougal Haston and Peter Gillman: Eiger Direct . Collins 1970, ISBN 0-00-241206-3
  • Jeff Connor: Douglas Haston: The Philosophy of Risk , Canongate Books, Edinburgh 2002, ISBN 1-84195-215-X

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Haston, Dougal
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish extreme mountaineer
DATE OF BIRTH April 19, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Currie , Edinburgh
DATE OF DEATH 17th January 1977
Place of death at Leysin