THE EXPEDITION LEADER
Chris Bonington – 82
“I’m writing a book,” Sir Chris Bonington sighs.
“What I should be doing is spending a few hours climbing each day. Instead I’m sitting at a desk, which is the worst thing for you.” If days at the keyboard are taking their toll on the British mountaineer, the signs are subtle; Sir Chris is in good nick, his eyes shining, sinewy arms straining as he demonstrates climbing techniques. And, at 82, he has the kind of poise many men half his age would envy.
A former army mountaineering instructor with an SAS soldier for a father, adventure has always been on Bonington’s agenda. In 1958 he was a member of the party that made the first British ascent of the South West Pillar of the daunting Aiguille du Dru, part of the Mont Blanc massif. Today MH has coaxed Sir Chris away from the tamer environs of his Lake District home to a West London photography studio. But, were he unencumbered by press duties, he’d most likely be found halfway up a craggy rock face with one of a local group of climbers. “I tend to ring through the phone list and find someone I can persuade to come out,” he says. “Most days we’ll do a climb then have a pint.”
Fifty years since he first made headlines by scaling the Old Man of Hoy, Bonington really shouldn’t be as agile as he is. “You’re supposed to stretch before a climb, but I don’t really,” he laughs. “That said, I do have a new hip now, so I’m thinking about taking
up yoga.” It’s an idiosyncratic approach to mobility, but then Bonington has never been one to overdo it off the mountain. In preparation for his Everest ascent in 1985, he bolstered his climbing with a daily brisk walk up the hill behind his home. “I didn’t start running until I was in my forties, and I’m not so good any more,” he says. “But when it comes to energy expenditure, athletes are racehorses, and climbers are steady plodders.”
When pressed, Bonington attributes his good health to a clean diet: “I have a lot of fish and vegetables,” he says. “Breakfast is muesli, linseed, blueberries and yoghurt.” Bonington’s vertical limits are not to be scoffed at, either. “Your peak for high-altitude climbing is probably during your early forties,” he says. “Even into my sixties I had a good success rate. I think I’m a young 82 simply because I’ve kept up my climbing. It helps maintain mental acuity.”
Like the mountains, there is a sense that Sir Chris will endure. “When you complete a climb the euphoria you feel is incredible. Hopefully I’ll be able to go on experiencing that for a long, long time.”
“Athletes are racehorses, and climbers are steady plodders”