Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
core values of climbing. The aim was to reduce the likelihood of litigation spread-
ing into climbing. It had already crept into other areas of life in Britain and was
rampant in North America.
Another big issue was to find a solution to the heated debate about the plan for a
national hut high on Ben Nevis. This had some supporters among guides, and it
would prevent the likelihood of further deaths from exposure on the Ben. Alex
wrote a balanced paper on the pros and cons, which was circulated widely and
came down against the idea. But it did support the need for a hut somewhere near
Ben Nevis open to English and Welsh climbers. The CIC hut below the Ben was
rarely available to climbers south of the border. Ironically, the alternative solution
that won favour was the hut at Onich, which now bears his name. During Alex's
time at the BMC it was rented but in 1983, after Alex died, a national fundraising
effort by the BMC and Mountaineering Council of Scotland raised the necessary
finance to purchase the property.
Alex also took a keen interest in the debate raging about the future of Plas y
Brenin - the National Mountain Centre. He advised the BMC that if they were to
make policy decisions on training, they should not be shackled to direct delivery of
training at Plas y Brenin. Alex acted as a bridge between John Barry, the centre's
director and a close friend, and, from the BMC, Ken Wilson and Dennis Gray. Al-
though it took time, eventually the centre was hived off as a separate company,
thus removing potential liability should accidents occur.
Despite all his success, and his respect for Alex, Dennis Gray said to me at an
event a few years ago: 'You know Alex suffered from mild dyslexia. He could ex-
press himself brilliantly in debate, but he had difficulties at times getting it straight
on paper. Rita and I had to spend considerable time redrafting his reports and
proposals into more readable English.'
I laughed when Dennis told me this but not out loud. No one else including his
closest family ever detected any signs of dyslexia. All his articles were written in a
unique, vibrant style, nuanced on various levels. Dennis said that the dyslexia was
an indication of his inability to deal with the current moment. The conclusion
Sarah shared with me was that Alex used this 'dyslexia' as a ploy to get out of the
laborious task of editing his work. Once his ideas were mapped out and dumped
on a page, he would delegate the task of fine-tuning to others. That way, there
would be more time for climbing and the social engagements expected of the na-
tional officer.
Alex's favourite job at the BMC was to run the international exchange meets, par-
ticularly winter ones in Scotland. Through these events Alex developed close
friendships with continental climbers like René Ghilini and Jean-Marc Boivin. He
