Hamish MacInnes
Encyclopedia
Dr Hamish MacInnes is a Scottish mountaineer, leading mountain search and rescuer, author and advisor. He is the leading Scottish
winter mountaineer of the generation following W. H. Murray.
MacInnes was born in Gatehouse of Fleet
, Dumfries and Galloway
, Scotland
in 1930. He made the first winter ascent of Crowberry Ridge Direct and of Raven's Gully on Buachaille Etive Mòr
with Chris Bonington
in 1953. He designed the first all-metal ice axe
, and is credited with introducing the short ice axe
and hammer with inclined picks for Scottish winter work in the early 1960s. He pioneered the exploration of the Glencoe
cliffs for winter work with the Glencoe School of Winter Climbing and for many years led the area's Mountain Rescue team
. He is recognised as having developed modern mountain rescue in Scotland, setting up the Search and Rescue Dog Association and the Avalanche Information Service, and inventing the MacInnes stretcher, which is used for rescues worldwide. In 1975, MacInnes was deputy leader to Bonington's Everest
expedition, which included Dougal Haston
and Doug Scott
.
Although never an official member, MacInnes climbed extensively with the Creag Dhu, the notorious Glasgow-based climbing club as well as with the rival Aberdeen clubs and joined forces with Tom Patey
to make the first winter traverse of the Cuillin
Ridge on Skye
. MacInnes is known as the "Fox of Glencoe" for his cunning as a mountaineer. He was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
in 2003 and received the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture in 2008.
He has been involved with a number of films, as climber, climbing double and safety officer, including The Eiger Sanction
and The Mission, and has written numerous books on mountaineering, including the International Mountain Rescue Handbook (1972), regarded as the standard manual worldwide, and Callout (1973), his classic account of his experiences leading the Glencoe Rescue team.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
winter mountaineer of the generation following W. H. Murray.
MacInnes was born in Gatehouse of Fleet
Gatehouse of Fleet
Gatehouse of Fleet is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, which has existed since the mid-18th century, although the area has been inhabited since much earlier...
, Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1930. He made the first winter ascent of Crowberry Ridge Direct and of Raven's Gully on Buachaille Etive Mòr
Buachaille Etive Mòr
Buachaille Etive Mòr , generally known to climbers simply as The Buachaille or The Beuckle, is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland...
with Chris Bonington
Chris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
in 1953. He designed the first all-metal ice axe
Ice axe
An ice axe, is a multi-purpose ice and snow tool used by mountaineers both in the ascent and descent of routes which involve frozen conditions. It can be held and employed in a number of different ways, depending on the terrain encountered...
, and is credited with introducing the short ice axe
Ice tool
An ice tool is a specialized elaboration of the modern ice axe , used in ice climbing, mostly for the more difficult configurations...
and hammer with inclined picks for Scottish winter work in the early 1960s. He pioneered the exploration of the Glencoe
Glen Coe
Glen Coe is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the southern part of the Lochaber committee area of Highland Council, and was formerly part of the county of Argyll. It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland, and is a part of the designated...
cliffs for winter work with the Glencoe School of Winter Climbing and for many years led the area's Mountain Rescue team
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
. He is recognised as having developed modern mountain rescue in Scotland, setting up the Search and Rescue Dog Association and the Avalanche Information Service, and inventing the MacInnes stretcher, which is used for rescues worldwide. In 1975, MacInnes was deputy leader to Bonington's Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
expedition, which included Dougal Haston
Dougal Haston
Dougal Haston, , was a Scottish mountaineer born in Currie, on the outskirts of Edinburgh.-Climbing achievements:...
and Doug Scott
Doug Scott
Douglas Keith Scott CBE, known as Doug Scott , is an English mountaineer noted for the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. Scott and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to climb Everest during this expedition...
.
Although never an official member, MacInnes climbed extensively with the Creag Dhu, the notorious Glasgow-based climbing club as well as with the rival Aberdeen clubs and joined forces with Tom Patey
Tom Patey
Tom Patey was a Scottish climber, mountaineer and writer. Although he was a leading Scottish climber of his day, particularly excelling on winter routes, he his probably best known for his humorous songs and prose about climbing, many of which were published posthumously in the collection One...
to make the first winter traverse of the Cuillin
Cuillin
This article is about the Cuillin of Skye. See Rùm for the Cuillin of Rùm.The Cuillin are a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The true Cuillin are also known as the Black Cuillin to distinguish them from the Red Hills across Glen Sligachan...
Ridge on Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
. MacInnes is known as the "Fox of Glencoe" for his cunning as a mountaineer. He was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame in Scotland, initiated on St Andrew's Day 2001. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and the National Museums of Scotland. It is also funded by BBC Scotland and...
in 2003 and received the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture in 2008.
He has been involved with a number of films, as climber, climbing double and safety officer, including The Eiger Sanction
The Eiger Sanction (film)
The Eiger Sanction is a 1975 American action thriller based on the novel The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian, a pseudonym for the American author, Dr. Rodney William Whitaker. The film was directed by Clint Eastwood, who also starred as Dr. Jonathan Hemlock.-Plot:Dr...
and The Mission, and has written numerous books on mountaineering, including the International Mountain Rescue Handbook (1972), regarded as the standard manual worldwide, and Callout (1973), his classic account of his experiences leading the Glencoe Rescue team.
External links
- Hamish MacInnes Official Site
- Hamish MacInnes at the Gazetteer for ScotlandGazetteer for ScotlandThe Gazetteer for Scotland is a gazetteer covering the geography, history and people of Scotland. It was conceived in 1995 by Bruce Gittings of the University of Edinburgh and David Munro of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and contains 15,500 entries as of January 2008, making it one of...
- Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team