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t was to be the first ascent of one of the best plums in the When I embarked on my Whillans project last year Derek Walker told
southern hemisphere but the objective dangers on their me about this film. Opening the can after 44 years I found it was in
journey were, to say the least, unusual. pristine condition and eagerly transferred it onto high quality Digital
As the team sailed through the Caribbean, Russia’s Nikita Betacam. I used seven minutes but it seemed as if the rest would remain
Khrushchev and America’s President Kennedy had their fingers poised in obscurity. Then I volunteered to re-edit it and add a soundtrack with
over their nuclear buttons. For a younger generation it’s hard to imagine commentary by Ian McNaught-Davis. It was a completely new experience
that the world as we know it might have ended in 1962. It was called the making a film that was 44 years old and took eight weeks rather than my

Cuban Missile crisis. The Russians had installed nuclear-tipped rockets in
Fidel Castro’s Cuba and America didn’t like them in their back yard.
Almost oblivious to the impending holocaust our team of Don Whillans,
Chris Bonington, Barrie Page, John Streetly, Derek Walker, Ian Clough
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anticipated two to effectively make a film that had never had a proper
premiere. It was like finding a dinosaur egg then hatching it.
Half the team were now dead. Ian Clough had died on Annapurna when
a bergshrund collapsed on him – John Streetly reached 71 and Whillans

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and filmmaker Vic Bray sailed quickly past and into the Panama Canal. died in his bed at 52 but the rest are still with us and still climbing.
On the way Audrey, Don’s wife, was dumped in Trinidad as company for Vic’s film shows a classic approach to the problem of reaching an

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John Streetly’s wife –‘That’s as close as you want women to base camp’ – unclimbed summit back in the ’60s before ‘alpine style and lightweight’
and four weeks later they reached Puntas Arenas or as Don so eloquently became the norm. Camps were erected and an embryonic Whillans Box
suggested, ‘Punt up your anus.’ tent was born to protect the guys against Patagonia’s furious winds.

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The expedition was filmed on 16mm Kodachrome ‘the best film ever Of course, if you listen to two climbers from the same expedition you

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made but now sadly replaced by a digital successor.’ Vic Bray edited a can get three or even more versions. Don may have left Audrey in Trinidad
version, without sound, and showed it to women’s institutes. The BBC but Wendy came with Chris and Barrie Page had a wife and a two-year-
showed an excerpt but climbing inserts looked remarkably like a quarry I old. Whillans was not impressed although his wasn’t the only dissenting

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know in Lancashire… voice. Then there was the much publicised story that Don probably
resented the fact that after he had gone home from the Alps, Chris had
snatched the first British ascent of the Eigerwand with Ian Clough.

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Below: Chris Bonington attempting to reach the Notch between the Towers in foul weather. Just when the team was settling down for Christmas and barbecued
lamb company arrived in the shape of a strong Italian team hell-bent on
the same mountain. Whillans was adamant, ‘they’ll av to move us by force’.
It was perhaps unfortunate that the Italian leader – Amando Aste – had a

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personal blessing from the Pope. Don was surprised that the Pope was
interested in climbing, ’I thought he was high enough up already’. Then
promptly renamed the Italian ‘Nasty Aste’.
Back in 1960 many of the mountains did not even have a name.
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Perhaps not realising their future potential, the Chilean authorities had
simply called them ‘Torres Innominatas’ – towers with no names.
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The team entered the next valley where two such mighty peaks were.
On a reconnaissance expedition two years earlier, Barrie Page and Derek
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Walker, being British, renamed them ‘The Fortress’ and ‘The Shield’ – the
names stuck.
Without any sound recordings I could only go on the written word and
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therein lay my next problem. Whillans once advised me, ‘Never put it down
in writing – it’ll be there for the next bloody 100 years – ye’ll only regret it.’
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After their Eiger success Chris got a contract from the Daily Express
and sent regular reports back to London. Although Chris generously put
all these funds into the expedition, climbers can be precious about what
is written in their name. In Jim Perrin’s excellent biography much play is
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made of the fun they had at Bonington’s expense. It was not a new
phenomenon and exists to the present day. Put pen to paper and wait to
be shot down.
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hillans once advised me,

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‘NEVER PUT IT DOWN IN WRITING –

IT’LL BE THERE FOR THE NEXT BLOODY
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100 YEARS – YE’LL ONLY REGRET IT.’

The Italians were not their only objective danger, the team encountered
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two more unexpected dramas…

Don: “I was leading Chris up the big slab when I had a most hair-raising
experience. Hauling up on a rope which Ian and I had left hanging down the
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slab, I was amazed to feel it snap in my hand. Expecting to fall, it took me

some seconds to realise that I was in fact sticking to the rock with pure
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friction. Carefully, I eased my right hand across to where the broken end of
the rope dangled. Somehow I managed to tie the two ends together and with
extreme caution continued to move upwards.”
Of course Vic Bray didn’t have his camera out and so the story only
remained in their memories – that is until I decided to reconstruct it. A
young Peter Firth became young Don and Chris remained Chris. You must
see the film to really appreciate what happened but with a drop of 1000ft
beneath him Don must have felt very lucky.

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A classic photo of the Towers of Paine with Chris Bonington (seated) and Vic
Bray. This picture was on the front cover of Mountaincraft magazine in 1963!

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Kendal Film Festival this year sees the premiere of a new film
about the first ascent of the Central Tower of Paine in 1963 by
Chris Bonington and Don Whillans. Taking original footage
shot by Vic Bray and recreating certain key moments Leo
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Dickinson has pulled together a fascinating tale of a major

British achievement that almost went disastrously wrong…
Photos courtesy of team members.
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Below: Don Whillans and Vic Bray constructing the first Whillans
Box tent. Right: Don takes dip in the freezing Lago Nordenskjold.
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DEC 07 31
58431_P32 22/10/07 16:44 Page 32

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I knew there was a 1000ft drop just below
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me and I scrabbled and I stopped just at

the edge of the drop – and then realised I
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had broken my ankle into the bargain – it

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was a very, very near escape.

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Top left: Chris Bonington during the first ascent of the Central Tower of
Paine. Bottom left: Ian Clough, Barrie Page and Don Whillans bouldering
at Camp 1. Above: Peter Firth (playing Don) as the fixed rope broke.
Below: Vic Bray (left) Chris Bonington (right, during his fall reconstruction
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in 2007) and ’Baby Doll‘ Whillans in shipboard fancy dress. Top right: Don
and Chris at the Notch just after Chris's near death fall.
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32 DEC 07
58431_P33 22/10/07 16:46 Page 33

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Every expedition tries to get ‘the funny’ picture and this was no
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exception. The expedition had 700 cans of Guinness, numerous
crates of Dreadnaught gin and copious supplies of MacLennons
whisky which the team had volunteered to evaluate by vigorous
field testing. The shot of Whillans on top of all the empties caused
laughter at the time, but seemed, with the benefit of hindsight,
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poignant. The shot of Don in the glacier lake looking forever like a
small orangutan is unforgettable.
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Chris and Don reached the top – and took the customary summit
snaps…
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Chris: “It was an absolutely fantastic still evening and of course the
view of The Fortress – The Paine Grande – in the distance is incredible
and the kind of state of almost euphoria and I think as well Don and I
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had had our differences and it was a moment of real unity at that
moment. Which was so good.”
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It was on the descent that the second rope broke. Don had just
passed the Italians on their way up: “I couldn’t care less about how
many Italians used our ropes now; they could bring the whole of Rome
up if they wanted.”
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Don had just gone down a fixed rope hand over hand and waited.
Chris set off to follow: “Don was very lean in those days and I was
that much heavier. I got about half way down and then suddenly it just
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broke.”
The consequences were astounding. Chris and Don almost died.
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The whole future of British Climbing would have been altered. No

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Annapurna – no Everest. $PTNP IFBEMBNQ
Chris continues: “I knew there was a 1000ft drop just below me and ,0-*/ 108*$,
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I scrabbled and I stopped just at the edge of the drop – and then
realised I had broken my ankle into the bargain – it was a very, very
near escape.”
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So my reconstruction ended. Success was snatched from the

jaws of failure. Despite trying very hard, no one killed themselves.
The next day while an injured Chris went slowly to base camp,
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Derek Walker and Ian Clough made the first British ascent of the
North Tower in a little over four hours.
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The film is a nostalgic mosaic belonging to a period that is long

past when harnesses hadn’t been invented, ropes snapped on a
regular basis and Friends were people who bought you a pint –
which in 1962 cost one and sixpence.

Leo and Vic’s ‘new’ DVD will be premiered at the Kendal Film Festival
and costs £12.95 + £2 p&p from Leo@AdventureArchive.com or phone
01395 446242

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CEKDJ7?D68B79A:?7CED:$;K &',( /+. &*.*