With this proliferation of equipment, climbs and expeditions were taking on ever more technical challenges which as before, led to a demand for even more sophisticated gear. The ultimate trip of that time was the Annapurna South Face, and to meet the totally new requirements of such an undertaking, Don Whillans conceived the idea of his sit harness. Originally a rather bizarre object, the idea was worked on and modified by the Troll team over a period of six months and the result was hailed as the most indispensable piece of gear on the climb.

He was incredibly funny, incredibly brilliant, not -- in my opinion -- a tragic figure. I saw greatness. I mean, think of all he achieved, the successes run through memory, glimpses of deep winter with Haston on the Eiger Direct, or on various mountains of the Himalaya, such as Annapurna. Following on from the Troll Whillans, nothing brought quite as much change to the world harness scene as Troll's revolutionary 'Belay Loop'. It made the sit harnesses of the twentieth century, both climbing and industrial, possible. Over twenty years on, virtually all today's harnesses are based on the Troll design of waist and legs connected by a loop of web which was first introduced to the world on the Troll Mark 5 harness in 1978. Re the televised ascents with Brown and Bonington, I too had the feeling that there was tension beneath the surface - on his side. My impression is that both Brown and Bonington were magnanimous towards him but he just wouldn't let stuff go. And, if you don't let stuff go, it eats away at you. Peter Donnelly, 'Whillans, Donald Desbrow (1933–1985)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006The hut is leased by the BMC and administered by a volunteer team. It is situated on the Roaches Estate, which is managed by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. Huts aren’t just a place to stay, they’re a place to socialise. They are communal places, with beds or bunks in dorm type rooms, so you’ll need to bring a sleeping bag or blanket, and possibly a pillow. You can expect to find separate men’s and women’s bathrooms. Depending on the size of the place there might be several rooms to sleep in, and depending on the mix of people attending, rooms might be allocated for men, women, couples, families and/or visitors. Often it’s just down to individuals to grab their preferred space on arrival - this is usually down to the meet organiser to coordinate, so just ask if you’d like to know more. We can speculate till the cows come home as to WHY Don might have felt insecure, and felt the need to adopt a confrontational stance to the world: genetics? being evacuated during the war? absent father? distant non-emotional parenting? macho tough culture? etc etc. Jim Perrin has had the luxury of having more evidence at his disposal to piece together a version of Don's persona that 'fits' his behaviour. All we can do is indulge in amateur speculation. Of course, no one is entitled to judge anyone else's life or make definitive statements as to how happy he was. However, Perrin (or anyone else) is entitled to their opinion that, given Don's talents as a mountaineer, he could have achieved even more; and, given the evidence of his behaviour to others, he did not SEEM to be a contented soul.

Here’s my list, together with my idea of their contributions. I only feel totally sure about two names – Kirkus and Brown. They're the only two who've been prolifically way ahead of the field. He designed mountaineering equipment, including the "Whillans Harness", once described as designed to safely transport beer-guts to great height, and the "Whillans-box" expedition tent. I was born in 1961, so the first time I was really aware of Don and his exploits was the Annapurna expedition. I had the poster on my wall at home for years. My mother still has a copy. It's telling that hardly anyone pictured on it is still alive. There are several deserved heroes of British mountaineering but it’s fair to say Don Whillans is the most impressive anti-hero. Hamish MacInnes is truly a man of the mountains. He has dedicated his life to exploration and has used the immense knowledge he has gathered to improve both climbing and mountain rescue equipment. He is recognised around the world as an outstanding climber and as a highly respected authority on mountain rescue.

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Born and brought up in a two-up two-down house in Salford, Lancashire, Whillans began hiking on the Pennine moors while still at Broughton modern school; [1] climbing was the next step for an adventurous young boy. Whillans was a heavy drinker, which harmed his career after the expedition to Annapurna and may have contributed to his early death. Although he was only 5' 4" tall, he had a reputation as a brawler and stories of his prowess circulated. Chris Bonington first climbed with Whillans in 1958. He grew up in a one-parent family and, though well spoken, was more of an outsider than his contemporaries assumed.

For me, the book also failed to give any insights into Don & Audrey's relationship. Even as a child of 10, it had seemed "unusual" to me, what with them both going off on expeditions and having no kids. Audrey probably deserves a book of her own and certainly a larger part in Don's story. Again, she isn't with us any longer so she can't comment on what Jim Perrin has said.

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With his high-altitude career apparently over, Whillans returned to drink. He spent his final years appearing at festivals , playing up to his image as the straight-talking northerner with the ready put-down. As to marketing, obviously it depends what you mean by important. But sadly I think the commodification of climbing has been the most important trend in the last 20 years, and I think BM’s been the main man in helping with that. Whillans was an apprentice plumber when he started his climbing career with Joe Brown in 1951. Whillans met Brown while climbing at the Roaches in Staffordshire. When Brown's climbing partner failed to follow him up a new route, Whillans asked if he could try—and subsequently led the second pitch of Brown's new route, which became known as "Matinee". Harlin III, John (2008). The Eiger obsession: facing the mountain that killed my father. Hutchinson. ISBN 9780091925581. Isn't Perrin Brown's friend? and as the book seems to cast Brown in a much better light than Whillans (his only real competition?)it would be hard for Brown not to praise the book.