One Day As A Tiger: Alex MacIntyre

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Gunkswest

climber
Jul 4, 2015 - 11:26am PT
I too believe Ian Nicholson of Glencoe did the first solos of Zero and Point Five Gullies on Ben Nevis circa 1973. He and other Glencoe/Ft William climbers told me this in the early 1980s.

In addition to NH climber Roger Martin, I believe Ken Simms (who did some FAs in NH in the late 70s) soloed both gullies circa 1978/79.

I soloed Point Five, the Orion Face Direct and other Scottish winter climbs during the winters of 1980/81 and 1981/82. One day while doing Observatory Buttress, my friend, George Reid, and I watched Alex MacIntyre and Con Higgins climb the Orion Face.

About a week later, I did an onsight solo of the Orion Face Direct. Ian and Hamish MacInnes were on the summit of the Ben when I topped out. Ian commented (in classic Brit fashion) "Twas piss easy, wasn't it?" It was a very cool way to end a climb - getting ribbed by your heroes on the summit...

BTW, Ian is still climbing.
Marlow

Sport climber
OSLO
Jul 4, 2015 - 11:45am PT

OT, but related - from The Cubby Columne:

As one of a group of outstanding young Edinburgh climbers who called themselves The Squirrels, Dave Bathgate and fellow member, Bugs McKeith inspired what was to become one of the most powerful Scottish climbing partnerships during the 60s. Like many Scots before him however, Bugs emigrated to Canada. It was here, having adapted his Scottish winter experiences, that he pioneered a new approach to ice climbing. The results were impressive and many cutting edge frozen waterfalls were climbed, such as Pilsner Pillar, Ice Nine and Takakaw Falls. Bugs also left his mark on the big alpine faces of the Rockies but tragically, it was here that he and his wife met their fate, killed while attempting a new route on Mount Assinaboyne.

The younger generation of Scottish climbers are often accused of taking their climbing and themselves just too seriously. An opinion that has to some extent filtered down from an ageing generation. But, I would have to say that my own personal experiences back in the 70s were not of a light hearted confrontation that you might expect, quite the contrary in fact. And dare I say, Dave Bathgate was just one of many hurdles I had to cross.

It was Hogmanay 1976 and somehow or another we, "we" being Hamilton, Alan Taylor - the Chimp, Rab Anderson and myself, found ourselves at Big Ian Nicholson's in Glencoe. Ian had a reputation as one of Scotland's most outstanding climbers during the late 60s and early 70s and within minutes we were engaged in conversation. I sensed it was leading somewhere and then, despite having consumed large quantities of alcohol, his whole manner and tone of voice altered. "What do you think of the Creag Dubh?"

Talk about being put on the spot, I was 18 years old, weaned on tradition and climbing folklore, not to mention a deep respect for the Creag Dubh but unfortunately for me the few members that I had met appeared to be suffering from what some might describe as a mid-life crisis!

At the time I had just come across Norrie Muir for the very first time on a trip to the Clachaig. Despite Norrie's credentials as a brilliant mountaineer (some of his Scottish exploits include, Minus I Buttress, Left Hand Route and Psychedelic Wall on Ben Nevis and Silver Tear in the North West), I had great difficulty in discriminating between them and the specimen I had just met at the Clachaig. To young upstarts like myself what would you think - unshaven and with long, black, straight greasy hair, parted in the middle, Norrie looked like something out of a Clint Eastwood western.

From the bar he approached me slowly, bending his knees slightly and shifting his weight from one foot to the other and chanting. In one hand he was only just holding on to a pint of heavy, in the other a quarter whisky bottle shaped can which, beneath a layer of oily grime, the word "Nitromores" could be read. Now whether or not it was done for effect, I don't know but I tell you it worked! "You're the wee w*!?ker from Edinburgh," said Norrie in a squeaky Glaswegian accent, barely able to see through slit, mole-like eyes and a grin that exposed the odd missing tooth and just as many black decaying ones. He still chanted towards me, pouring the contents of the Nitromores can into his pint, which bubbled and fizzed! I was speechless.

http://www.scottishoutdoors.co.uk/outdoors/columista.cfm@feature_cat_id=12&selectedfeature_id=1860.htm
AlliC

climber
Jul 4, 2015 - 06:42pm PT
I heard the story about Iain's climbs from Dave Knowles in early '74 when he pointed out the lines, he wanted to do Point Five but decided against it and we went on to do Observatory Ridge because the weather was looking pretty dicey. It was Scotland so of course there was always that chance and it proved right!

Here's an excerpt from a book by John Cleare, he's talking about the development of Terrordactyls and mentions Iain's climbs.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p231/scgrossman/ScottishIceCleare5.jpg
Bad Climber

climber
Jul 26, 2015 - 06:29am PT
@Marlow:

What a great passage! Thanks for that. Can't wait to read Porter's book. Congrats on the honors.

BAd
Marlow

Sport climber
OSLO
Jan 31, 2016 - 01:10pm PT

Un jour comme un tigre Alex MacIntyre et la naissance de l'himalayisme léger et rapide. Quelques mots de René Ghilini sur Alex McIntyre...

[Click to View YouTube Video]
Marlow

Sport climber
OSLO
Jan 31, 2016 - 01:22pm PT

One Day as a Tiger: John Porter interviewed by Jon Popowich

[Click to View YouTube Video]
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