William Cecil Slingsby
William Cecil Slingsby (* 1849 in Gargrave , North Yorkshire , England , † 23 August 1929 in Hurstpierpoint , West Sussex , England) was an English mountaineer.
He is considered one of the pioneers of mountaineering in Norway and was the first to climb several Norwegian mountains. Together with the Norwegian mountaineer Kristian Bing (1862–1935) he explored the Jostedalsbreen , the largest glacier on the European mainland.
Slingsby is best known for the first ascent of Store Skagastølstind (2405 m) in 1876. Until then, climbing Norway's third largest mountain was considered impossible. His crossing of the Keizer Pass (1,550 m) on skis contributed to the popularization of ski mountaineering in 1880 .
He summarized his tours and explorations in the mountaineering book Norway: the Northern Playground , published in 1904 . Slingsby was an honorary member of the Norwegian Alpine Club Norsk Tindeklub and the DNT .
William Cecil Slingsby had five children. His youngest daughter, Eleanor Winthrop Young , became an avid mountaineer herself and co-founded the British women's climbing club, Pinnacle Club .
Publications
- WC Slingsby Norway: the Northern Playground , ISBN 1-904466-07-9
Web links
- Pioneering climber was a legend in his own lifetime - The Craven Herald & Pioneer (1 March 2012 )
- William Cecil Slingsby. This Yorkshire man led the way to the heights - short biography
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Slingsby, William Cecil |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English climber |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1849 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gargrave , North Yorkshire , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 23, 1929 |
| Place of death | Hurstpierpoint , West Sussex , England |