Ian Clough (mountaineer)
Encyclopedia
Ian Clough was a British
mountaineer
who was killed on an expedition to climb the south face of the Himalayan massif
Annapurna
.
town of Baildon, near Bradford
, and grew up to become one of the best British climbers of his generation. He made many difficult ascents in the Alps
, including the first ascent of the Central Pillar of Frêney on Mont Blanc
with Don Whillans
, Chris Bonington
and Jan Długosz
in 1961 and the first British ascent of the North Face of the Eiger
, with Bonington in 1962. He climbed widely in Britain too, publishing a guide to the Scottish Highlands
in 1969, and in 1968 he and fellow mountaineer Tom Patey
were the first to climb Am Buachaille
, a sea stack at Sandwood Bay
off the Scottish coast of Sutherland
. Two years later, both Clough and Patey died in separate climbing accidents within five days of one another. When Clough died on May 30th, 1970, he would have been unaware Patey had been killed abseiling down another Scottish sea stack on May 25th. Clough's wife Niki Clough, who later died of cancer, was also a mountaineer and climbed the north face
of the Matterhorn
with her husband.
led by Chris Bonington
, but after the successful ascent of the south face by Dougal Haston
and Don Whillans
he was killed by a falling sérac
(ice
-pillar) on the mountain's lower slopes. Bonington dedicated his book Annapurna South Face (1971) with the words "To IAN CLOUGH, who gave so much", and a meeting-place and arts
venue in Clough's hometow of Baildon was named "Ian Clough Hall" in his hono.
was erected in Clough's memory
at Annapurna base camp. The text of the plaque reads:
IN MEMORY OF
IAN CLOUGH
MEMBER OF THE 1970 CHRIS BONINGTON EXPEDITION
ANNAPURNA SOUTH FACE
KILLED ON DESCENT IN THE ICE FALL
NOVEMBER 1999
The plaque was commissioned by Kelvin Kent
, who had been base camp manager on the expedition. An earlier memorial at the site is an inscription reading "Ian Clough, killed May 30, 1970", cut into rock shortly after Clough's death with an accompanying message in a local language.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
who was killed on an expedition to climb the south face of the Himalayan massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
Annapurna
Annapurna
Annapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over and 16 more over ....
.
Climbing career
Clough was born in the YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
town of Baildon, near Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, and grew up to become one of the best British climbers of his generation. He made many difficult ascents in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, including the first ascent of the Central Pillar of Frêney on Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
with Don Whillans
Don Whillans
Don Whillans was an English rock climber and mountaineer. Born and raised in a two-up two-down house in Salford, Lancashire, he climbed with both Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both. He was an apprentice plumber when he first started his...
, 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...
and Jan Długosz
Jan Dlugosz (mountaineer)
Jan Długosz was a Polish mountaineer and writer. He lived in Kraków...
in 1961 and the first British ascent of the North Face of the Eiger
Eiger
The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m...
, with Bonington in 1962. He climbed widely in Britain too, publishing a guide to the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
in 1969, and in 1968 he and fellow mountaineer 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...
were the first to climb Am Buachaille
Am Buachaille
Am Buachaille is a sea stack, or vertical rock formation, near Sandwood Bay in the Scottish county of Sutherland at . It was first climbed in 1968 by the mountaineers Tom Patey and Ian Clough. The name means "The herdsman" in Scottish Gaelic.-External links:...
, a sea stack at Sandwood Bay
Sandwood Bay
Sandwood Bay is a natural bay in Sutherland, on the far north-west coast of mainland Scotland. It is best known for its mile-long beach and Am Buachaille, a sea stack, and lies about 5 miles south of Cape Wrath...
off the Scottish coast of Sutherland
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
. Two years later, both Clough and Patey died in separate climbing accidents within five days of one another. When Clough died on May 30th, 1970, he would have been unaware Patey had been killed abseiling down another Scottish sea stack on May 25th. Clough's wife Niki Clough, who later died of cancer, was also a mountaineer and climbed the north face
Great north faces of the Alps
In mountaineering, the six great north faces of the Alps are known for their difficulty and great height. They are:*Cima Grande di Lavaredo*Eiger*Grandes Jorasses*Matterhorn*Petit Dru*Piz Badile...
of the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
with her husband.
Expedition to Annapurna
In 1970, Clough took part in the expedition to AnnapurnaAnnapurna
Annapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over and 16 more over ....
led by 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...
, but after the successful ascent of the south face by Dougal Haston
Dougal Haston
Dougal Haston, , was a Scottish mountaineer born in Currie, on the outskirts of Edinburgh.-Climbing achievements:...
and Don Whillans
Don Whillans
Don Whillans was an English rock climber and mountaineer. Born and raised in a two-up two-down house in Salford, Lancashire, he climbed with both Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both. He was an apprentice plumber when he first started his...
he was killed by a falling sérac
Serac
A serac is a block or column of ice formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. Often house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers since they may topple with little warning...
(ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
-pillar) on the mountain's lower slopes. Bonington dedicated his book Annapurna South Face (1971) with the words "To IAN CLOUGH, who gave so much", and a meeting-place and arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
venue in Clough's hometow of Baildon was named "Ian Clough Hall" in his hono.
1999 Memorial
In November 1999 a brass plaqueCommemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
was erected in Clough's memory
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
at Annapurna base camp. The text of the plaque reads:
IN MEMORY OF
IAN CLOUGH
MEMBER OF THE 1970 CHRIS BONINGTON EXPEDITION
ANNAPURNA SOUTH FACE
KILLED ON DESCENT IN THE ICE FALL
NOVEMBER 1999
The plaque was commissioned by Kelvin Kent
Kelvin Kent (mountaineer)
Kelvin Kent is a British adventurer, hiker, mountaineer, businessman and lecturer. He served in the British army for many years, seeing combat in Borneo and working with the Gurkhas of Nepal, before moving to the United States in 1976...
, who had been base camp manager on the expedition. An earlier memorial at the site is an inscription reading "Ian Clough, killed May 30, 1970", cut into rock shortly after Clough's death with an accompanying message in a local language.
External links
- Story about the memorial to Ian Clough in the Bradford Telegrap and Argus