Knowles Dave

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Biografie:
abgestürzt am Eiger (Schweiz)

Dave Knowles 1947-1974
Dave Knowles, who was 27, was killed by a freak rock-fall on the Eiger W Ridge whilst working as a stunt man during the filming of the Clint Eastwood film 'The Eiger Sanction'. Dave, who lived and worked as an instructor and guide in Glencoe, was one of the most colourful and talented characters on the Scottish scene. Brought up in Preston, he graduated at The London School of Economics and Lancaster College. Much of his earlier climbing was done with his twin brother Dudley, who also lived for a time in Glencoe. Dave shunned publicity and had an aversion to recording routes, so many of his climbs will never be known. Keen on lone climbing, his solo ascent of Zero Gully and subsequent dropping of a top rope to a friend on Point 5 lost him much publicity to his companion of the day, lan Nicolson, whose solo ascent of both climbs in a single morning gained him great acclaim.
In the Alps he had ascents of the Dru N face in poor condition, Eiger N face and Freney Central Pillar. He also did much climbing in Africa with notable first ascents on Mount Kenya, Kilimanjaro and Mawenzi. In Scotland some of his better known ascents were Dubh Loch Monster and Gulliver with lan Nicolson, Midnight Cowboy, a recent grade V on Aonach Dubh, S Buttress on Stob Coire Nan Lochan, Vademecum, a superb ribbon of ice to the left of Hadrian's Wall and the first winter ascent of Route 1 on Cam Dearg Buttress, both on Ben Nevis.
More humorously he said one of his great epics was an ascent of Observatory Ridge in winter with a BBC television cameraman who had never climbed before (or since), the ascent taking all day and half the night. He was liked by all and is greatly missed.
lan Sykes
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 80, 1975, Seite 304


Geboren am:
1947
Gestorben am:
1974