Britain’s most famous mountaineer, Sir Chris Bonington, has marked his 90th birthday by vowing to fulfil a promise he made to his late friend and climbing partner Doug Scott. Now unable to climb in the great ranges of the world, he will instead support a project that is aiming to preserve and celebrate the traditions and way of life in the Himalaya. Sir Chris’ latest quest for adventure is to help complete the work started by fellow climber Doug Scott before he died, to fund the restoration of the Sherpa Heritage House, which was devastated by an earthquake nine years ago.
Sir Chris Bonington celebrated his 90th birthday on Tuesday 6 August. With a climbing career that stretches back to the 1950s and includes first ascents and major expeditions around the world, he is the UK’s most famous mountaineer and a global climbing icon. He has also played a major role in the outdoor industry, working closely with Berghaus for 40 years, as an athlete, ambassador and consultant on product. In addition, he has held roles in organisations such as the British Mountaineering Council, Outdoor Industries Association, Council for National Parks, Outward Bound Trust, and the Bendrigg Trust. Berghaus has created a one-off special edition of its iconic Trango jacket as a 90th birthday present for Sir Chris, who celebrated the day with close family and friends at home in the Lake District, Cumbria.
The special one-off Trango jacket made by Berghaus for Sir Chris’s birthday
Over seven decades of adventure, Sir Chris led or was part of many expeditions to the Himalaya, which would have not been possible without the contributions of the local Sherpas. These included the South West Face of Everest expedition in 1975, which put the first Brits on the summit of the world’s highest mountain, when Doug Scott and Dougal Haston stood on the top of the world on 24 September. On that expedition, the head Sirdar (lead Sherpa) was Pertemba Sherpa, who went on to support Sir Chris and Doug on many other trips. He remains a close friend of Sir Chris.
Doug Scott subsequently founded the charity Community Action Nepal (CAN) to improve the standard of living in remote Himalayan communities and give something back to the mountain people who had helped him to achieve his mountaineering goals. In 2015, the Sherpa Heritage House, which is in the village of Khumjung in the Khumbu region of Nepal, was badly damaged in the devastating earthquake that hit the area. The house is the ancestral home of Pertemba Sherpa and following the disaster, Doug promised him that CAN would raise funds to rebuild it, and also increase its support of the local people in other ways.
CAN has so far raised £150,000 for the house and completed phase one, the construction of the complex religious wing, but Doug died of cancer in 2020, before he was able to fulfil his promise. The work continues, with funding needed to complete phase two, which will see the house transformed into a museum, photography gallery, and tea house to raise the income of the local community. As a patron of CAN, Sir Chris is playing his part.
Sir Chris comments: “I can’t climb like I did any more, but that doesn’t mean that my spirit of adventure has diminished. My dear friend Doug made a promise to our great friend Pertemba, and I intend to see that it is kept. Community Action Nepal has been doing wonderful work for 30 years, and the restoration of the Sherpa Heritage House is of critical importance. I was so fortunate to be immersed in the traditional Nepalese and Sherpa culture during my expeditions to the Himalaya, and it is vital to preserve that during a modern era where so much about climbing has changed.
“We must never let the pivotal role that the Sherpa community plays in Himalayan expeditions go unseen. The house is a physical demonstration of that and a crucial part of sustaining the relationship between visiting climbers and local Sherpas, which plays such a fundamental role in the Nepalese economy.”
Sir Chris at his home in the Lake District
Reflecting on reaching the age of 90, Sir Chris adds: “I’m grateful that I’ve had such a full, and fulfilling life, and have been able to spend so much of it indulging in my love of climbing and the outdoors. Through that, I have met so many great people and organisations, and formed some deep friendships. Having reached the age of 90, I have seen a huge amount of national and political change, and I think that gives me a balanced view of the challenges that we all face today.
If you would like to make a donation to the work of CAN to celebrate Sir Chris’ birthday please go their website www.canepal.org.uk/support-us.