Clough Ian

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Biografie:
geboren in Bradford (Großbritannien)
gestorben an der Annapurna (Nepal)

Erstbegeher des Freney-Zentralpfeilers am Mont Blanc vom 27. - 29. August 1961 mit Chris Bonington, J. Dhogosz und Don Williams und einer franz. Seilschaft; Bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt war dies die schwierigste Tour am Mont Blanc;
31. Begehung der Eiger-Nordwand vom 29. - 31. August 1962 mit seinem Landsmann Chris Bonington;

IAN CLOUGH
La mort de Ian Clough en juin 1970, durant la dernière heure avant de quitter la montagne, a gâté le triomphe de l'expédition britannique à la face sud de l'Annapurna, triomphe auquel il avait tant contribué. Iran Clough était Tune des meilleures et moins égoistes personnes que j'eusse jamais connues. En montagne il ne pensait jamais à la possibilité de son succès personnel, mais toujours à celui du groupe comme un tout. C'était toujours Ian qui fournissait le travail complémentaire pour la securité de l'itinéraire avec quelque corde fixe supplémentaire ou un piton en banne place. II prenait toujours la plus lourde charge sann souci de garder sa force pour un assaut final au sommet. C'était aussi le plus populaire des grimpeurs au-près des sherpas. Ce fut Ian qui leur apprit à se servir du jumar sur les cordes fixes et toutes les techniques subtiles exigées par la muraille si redressée de la montane. BI y avant bcaucoup à apprendre dans le caractère et la fréquentation de Ian, car c'était non seulement un brillant et très sur montagnard mais aussi un superbe et fort doué professeur d'alpinisme.
Né le 13 mars 1937, à Bradford dans e nord de l'Angeterre, il fréquenta l'école supérieure locale et l' abandonna à 16 ans pour devenir un actif correspondant du journal local. Mais son premier amour fut l'escalade et déjà il avait concu l'ambition de devenir guide de montagne.
Durant son service militaire dans la Royal Air Force il s'arrangea paar avoir un poste dans une unité de sauvetage en montagne et à la fin de ce service il essaya de faire sa vie comme guide. BI était déjà un montagnard très compétent ayant à son actif de nombreuses premières dans es Highlands d'Écosse. Vers e pilier des années 50, il n'était pas facie de vivre de l'escalade et cela entrainait des sacrifices matériels considérabes, mais lan tint bon, guidant en Angeterre et dans es Alpes, gardant son enthousiasme paar ce spart et ajoutant des premières à chaque occasion.
Je grimpai d'abord avec lan en 1961 lors de la première ascension du pilier Central du Freney avec Jan Duglosz et Don Whillans. L'année suivante nous eumes es meil-eurs jours de notre carrière de grimpeurs avec l'éperon de la Walker en treize heures, bivouaquant au sommet et traversant le endemain toutes et Jorasses et l'arete de Rochefort. Trois jours après nous partions pour Grindelwald et fimes la face nord de l'Eiger. Cette même armée, Ian et moi fumes de l'expédition à la tour centrale du Paine, en Patagonic du sud. Son dur travail contribua énormément au succès de l'expédition. En 1967, il retourna en Patagonie, avec sa femme Nicky, pour conduire l'expédition victorieuse de la Forteresse, probablement b l'époque le plus difficile sommet vierge de la Patagonie. Deux ans plus tôt, il avait été membre d'une autre expédition au Gaurisankar; ils eurent de grosses difficultés à trouver une route sur cette montagne et à la fin la contournèrent pour l'attaquer par le nord. lan fut tout le temps en tete avec Don Whillans.
lan fut surement l'un des meilleurs montagnards de Grande-Bretagne joignant s des dons considérables de technicité un jugement très sûr et, peut-être, le plus im-portant de tout : un degré élevé de désintéressement.
lan fut tué par la chute d'un sérac juste au-dessous du camp II vers 5 200 m. Nous connaissions ce risque de chute de sérac, mais l'avions accepté parce que la proba-
que quelqu'un fut dans la zone dangereuse, très restreinte, au moment d'une chute était très falble. C'était une de ces cruelles éventualités marginales que chacun de nous qui fréquentons la montagne doit etre préparé à rencontrer.
Nous ensevelimes lan au camp de base en vue de la face. Quand quelqu'un de très proche est tue en course, an ne peut s'empécher de se demander pourquoi continuer et si cela en vaut la peine, pourtant chacun sait que l'on ne peut jamais abandonner les sensations sublimes des hauteurs, la satisfaction de l'accomplissement du succès, toutes choses qui font de I'alpinisme une si grande part de la vie. Et je suis sûr que c'était ce que lan sentait si bien.
Christian BONINGTON.
Quelle: La Montagne 1971, Seite 41

Ian Clough
The news of the death of lan Clough in an ice-fall following the successful ascent of the South face of Annapurna came as a great shock to his many friends. Born in Yorkshire, lan started climbing on the small gritstone outcrops close to his home in Baildon and from these small beginnings his passion for mountaineering developed.
Shortly after joining the R.A.F. for his National Service lan joined the Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team. He had already climbed extensively and had come under the influence of Hamish MacInnes on the snow and ice courses of the Mountaineering Association. Coupled with lan's natural mountaineering ability and enthusiasm, this all-round experience was invaluable in the improvement in standards which took place during his service. The mould of the allround mountaineer was already cast.
After leaving Kinloss lan worked as an instructor for the Mountaineering Association both at home and in the Alps. Between courses he had excellent opportunities to improve his own standards and very soon became establisheu in the front rank of mountaineers. The insecurity and low income of this way of life persuaded lan to embark upon a career in teaching so as to get the best of both worlds. A year as a student teacher was to lead on to a training college, but at the last moment he was offered a place on an expedition to the Towers of Paine. He abandoned the prospective security for the freedom of a professional mountaineer to take up many more expedition offers than the 'spare timer'.
In association with Hamish MacInnes lan set up a climbing school in Glencoe and built a successful career around it. Early in this venture he married Niki, herself a talented climber, who was to help him so much in his work.
Ian was very well known indeed to large number of mountaineer, many of whom he had either introduced to climbing or had helped to improve their standard . Hi former pupils will always appreciate having had the opportunity of climbing with a mountaineer of his calibre and repute; his influence in the sport of mountaineering will be sadly missed.
To pit himself against the pure competition that surround climbing of a high standard these day was not Ian's style. He was more concerned with being a good man of the mountains. Standards where there as a yardstick, rather than as an end in them selves. Anyone who has climbed with him, heard him lecture, seen his photographs or read his articles will know how near Ian had become to being the complete mountaineer and how he had kept true to himself in doing so.
A list of Ian Clough's route and expedition would somehow miss the point of what he achieved. He made many friends, not only in the world of climbing, but among the numbers of people in all walks of life who get involved in the organisation of an expedition. His friends know how hard he worked for the success of whatever he undertook; his reward was in helping to extend the range of mountaineering achievement rather than in personal kudos.
J. M. Alexander
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 76, 1971, Seite 324-325

lan Stewart Clough (1937-70)
I would like to add a note to the obituary notice of Ian Clough in the last Alpine Journal. Naturally, being a generation older, I never climbed with him, but met him through the Mount Everest Foundation. He struck me as the most attractive of all the young 'Tigers' of his day. I suppose 'young' is a relative term, but Clough, with his rather untidy mop of hair and his boyish appearance, always looked younger than his age. I recall, when I first met him, being reminded of Hermann Buhl when he came over to address the A.C. on Nanga Parbat; there, too, youthfulness appeared the dominant characteristic.
I think it may be useful if a few of lan's climbs are mentioned. He went first to the Alps in 1953, with a party of Boy Scouts; the Wildstrubel, his main peak, was a mild beginning indeed for one who was to become an outstanding performer. It was not till 1958 that he was again in the Alps, at Chamonix, and he was very faithful to the latter district, going again in 1959 and 1960 (during which an attempt was made on the Aiguille de la Republique) and succeeding years. Of his 1961 season he has written in the A.J. 67 60; it included the Cima Ovest, Marmolada, Piz Badile, Central Pillar of Freney (first ascent) and a traverse of the Chamonix Aiguilles.
In 1962 (the year of Ian's election to the A.C.) the Eigerwand, with Bonington (first British ascent) overshadowed all else; and in 1963 he went further afield, being one of the trio who made the first ascent of the Central Tower of Paine in Patagonia. 1964 saw the attempt on Gauri Shankar, described by him in A.J. 70 96. He returned, in 1967-8, to Patagonia, as leader of the successful expedition that climbed the Fortress, though he himself was not in the summit party; many of us will recall his address to the A.C. on this extremely difficult ascent, carried out in extremely bad weather. August 1968 saw him in the High Tatra (A.J. 74 95), and in 1969 he was back in the Alps, with an ascent (amongst others) of the Grand Dru by the South Pillar.
Clough wrote excellently and his contributions to the Alpine Journal were free from over-much tedious, blow-by-blow detail, and spiced with good humour. It is needless to stress his contributions to the Annapurna triumph. As is well known, Don Whillans had gone out to meet the ship with the main expedition stores at Bombay; delays to the boat led to Whillans going ahead to reconnoitre the approach to Annapurna, and Clough came out later to meet and take charge of the baggage. I am indebted to Niki Clough for being allowed to read some of his letters to her, describing his work in getting the stores to Nepal. He had immediately made friends with Indian climbers in Bombay, and had been on trips with them before making his journey on top of a lorry load of baggage across India. Anyone reading the letters will feel, as I think one did when meeting Clough, that his was a naturally happy disposition; he entered thoroughly into the ideas and thoughts of his Indian companions, and, despite the discomforts of the journey, he enjoyed it all. It is entirely understandable how the Sherpas, on his death, insisted on his being brought down and buried at the foot of the rock where he had given them training in artificial climbing; on the expedition, as in Bombay, his natural friendliness seems to
have made itself felt immediately, and it is easy to comprehend Bonington's tribute to him as being one of the kindest and least selfish people he had ever met.
T. S. Blakeney
Shortage of space has led to the holding over of in memoriam notices for T. A. H. Medlycott, 1909-70 (by H. R. Herbert); Cyril Montague Sleeman, 1883-1971 (by A. M. Binnie); and Edward E. T. Taylor, 1910-'71 (by D. G. Lambley). It is hoped to be able to reproduce these in a later issue.
Anthony Medlycott, an architect, was a notable British rock-climber, who had also done a wide range of general Alpine climbing.
Cyril Sleeman, Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge, had climbed extensively in little-known mountain ranges in Europe (contributing several papers to the Alpine Journal), as well as having a fine record in the Alps and inBritish hills. He played a big part in the continuity of the Cambridge V.M.C. in the period between the wars.
Edward Taylor, a Northampton surgeon, had a distinguished medical career. He had climbed a great deal in the Alps and in Britain, and was a keen fell walker
We also note with regret the deaths of Grace Hoeman, the noted Alaskan mountaineer in an avalanche accident on the Eklutna glacier near Anchorage, and of Emil Steuri (age 83), the leading Oberland guide of the 20s.
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 77, 1972, Seite 295-297


Geboren am:
13.03.1937
Gestorben am:
30.05.1970