Rock stars
Bloody hell! It’s not easy... You get your boot jammed in this crack, then you can’t get the damn thing out.”
Thirty years ago, I was on the granite rock high above Chamonix in the French Alps, mesmerised by Chris Bonington’s Herculean efforts as his nailed boots scrabbled for grip. Chris’s struggle was a result of his bid to emulate Albert Mummery’s first ascent of the Aiguille du Grépon in the French Alps in 1881 – while wearing the tweeds, woollen stockings and velour hat that were the uniform of gentleman climbers of the period.
Mummery was a merchant’s son from Kent, a shadowy figure, known today by his one book, My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus.
