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| National Geographic Film 1974 A history of Scottish Winter Mountainering |
Crafts & Things Coffee shop has been something of an institution among
climbers for years. Many climbers have stayed with David Cooper and Kishema who
owned the business until recently. “Crafts
& Things” is a meeting place for a pre climb coffee, or post climb tea and cake.
It was the daily routine of legend Hamish MacInnes to be there in the morning,
Hamish disliked strong tea preferring as he called a gnat’s piss tea which was
just a cup of hot water, accompanied by a scone. Crafts & Things was always
a good place to chat with friends from far and wide who wanted to see Hamish.
Chris Bonington, Doug Scott, Dave Bathgate, Dave Cuthbertson, Rob Taylor, Yvon
Chouinard and sundry locals who just liked to come in and have a chat with him.
Fort William Mountain Film Festival February 2010 was
50 years since Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smiths epic weekend during February
1960, climbing what were to become some of Scotland finest winter classic
climbs. Jimmy was to receive the excellence
in mountain culture award at the film festival that year and attend as part of an
event called “The Ice Men”. Hamish inventor of the dropped pick Terrodactyl ice
axe, and Yvonne Chouinard founder of Patagonia and the curved pick ice axe made
up this famous trio of pioneers.
These drop pick or curved ice tools, along with the
modern 12-point crampon with angled front points revolutionized steep ice
climbing. These developments were 10 years in the future when Jimmy Marshall
and Robin Smith had their epic week staying at the old CIC hut at the foot of
the Ben. They repeated Point Five Gully in 4 hours as a second ascent
cutting steps (The first ascent took days) and made the first winter
ascents of The Great
Chimney (IV,5), Minus
Three Gully (IV,5), Smith’s
Route (V,5), Observatory Buttress (V,4), Pigott’s Route (V,6)
and Orion Direct (V,5).
These routes were all climbed cutting steps and hand slots with one axe.
Jimmy Marshall's achievements on the Scottish
mountains from the late 1950s and early 1960s demonstrated his remarkable skill.
Marshall's legacy in the world of climbing, particularly in Scotland, is huge.
His first ascents of challenging routes, often in less-than-ideal conditions
highlight his technical expertise, determination, and the pioneering spirit of
climbers of that era. The fact that many of his routes took many years to be
repeated due to their technical difficulty, and the need for advancements in
ice climbing technology, which helped future climbers make repeat ascents
speaks to the level of innovation and courage exhibited by Jimmy. Jimmy was a well-deserved
recipient of the Excellence in Mountain Culture award that year 2010.
The Ice Men” festival lecture, was packed out. The day
after, Hamish, Jimmy, Yvonne, David Cooper, Dave “Cubby” Cuthbertson (Cubby is also
a legend of Scottish climbing) and I all gathered around our favorite coffee
shop table to chat about all things climbing and mountains. Past epics and
adventures, and with Yvonne always a bit of fishing as well. Such gentlemen, it
was an occasion very much for me to listen and say very little. I may have contributed
to the conversation a tiny bit and must say I was treated with the greatest
respect for my own very modest achievements compared to these giants of
mountaineering history. Yvonne and I talked about Salmon fishing for a bit, and
Jimmy and I chatted about his climbing and some of the climbs of his I had repeated.
Such a nice guy who talked fondly of the fun he had among Scotland’s mountains.
He frequently said climbing was all about the fun, not the grades. Something
that perhaps gets forgotten in social media.
We must have been chatting for about two hours and
consumed a lot of caffeine when Jimmy Saville appeared on the scene, looking
around for adulation as always. We sort of knew him, but he was always kept at
a distance. Those of us with wives were warned by them that he was a creep. The
women had him sussed and did not like him. He could be very personable, but
then I guess sociopaths can be. He tried to join our table by dragging over a
chair, but none of us would let him in, or let him speak. He had a few tries,
but no one would give him room. Crestfallen, he made off in his gold bling and tracksuit
to seek attention elsewhere among the tourists. Our table just ignored him. The
rest of the afternoon passed in a caffeinated haze as folk came and chatted
with the legends. Walking homeward I reflected on how fortunate I was to have
spent time with these good people of the mountains. Inspirational people, not
just because of what they had achieved, but also because it came tempered with
a respect and humility for the natural world, the mountains, and the people
among them.
When writing my book “Between a Loch and a Hard Place,
looking back, I am aware, perhaps more so with age, that it’s the people I have
met that have blessed my life and enriched it. My humble climbing achievements
were fun too, and life enhanced by these good people who had shown me a way to
a bigger world of travel, mountains and humility in my youth.
Worth a watch:
“Live it up, drink it up,
drown your sorrows while you may.
For the grand old men of tomorrow,
were the tigers of yesterday.
Tom Patey
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