A true legend. Doug was the first Britain to climb Mt Everest and has partaken in more expeditions to the greater ranges than virtually anybody else alive. He has an enviable track record of major corporate and business lectures, with a full complement of satisfied clients.

NB: 25th Sep 2005 will be the 30 year anniversary of Doug and Dougal's ascent of Everest

Doug - first Britain on the summit of Everest Sep 25th 1975

Mellow, mystical Scott is a unique phenomenon in British climbing. Born 29th May 1941, he still retains the cachet of being one of the lads, while simultaneously possessing maximum respect by the establishment – he is the late John Peel of mountaineering. And like Radio 1’s elder statesman, he has somehow managed to develop this tremendous authority without an encumbering gravitas with which to alienate a younger generation. Scott is extraordinary by any standards; proof positive that you can still be cool, and collect a bus pass. Never afraid to voice opinions on ethics, philosophy, politics and ecology, he has developed a gently polemical style to a fine art. In amongst the inspiring shots of the mountains of the world Scott plants little revelatory time bombs; from the terrible human and ecological costs of strip mining in Irian Jaya, and the brutal injustices enacted by the Chinese in Tibet, to the pointlessness of towing lardy millionaires up huge dangerous mountains, and the philosophical bankruptcy world climbing faces in the wake of the all-conquering bolt. You may not always agree with his opinions, but they are worth hearing, being informed and cogently argued. Scott is the nearest we have to an intellectual professional mountaineer, something which in most people’s experience could be taken to be a contradiction in terms. However, don’t worry, because a Scott talk is not an Open University seminar, there are no kipper ties and brown corduroy jackets. Instead the narrative is enlivened by the best of a lifetime’s worth of stunning photography and lubricated by a flat-vowelled wit so dry it could mop up beer tables. A must see performer.

His Lectures

1. Himalaya Alpine Style

Covers significant moments during climbs on -

Koh-i-bandaka – Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
Shishapangma South West Face – Tibet
Baruntse-Chamlang-Makalu – Nepal
Lobsang Spire-Broad Peak-K2 – Pakistan
Nanga Parbat-Mazeno Ridge – Pakistan.

Doug illustrates the lecture using slides from his highly acclaimed personal collection.

2. Moments of Being

MOMENTS OF BEING is an illustrated lecture of Scott’s new climbs and explorations in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim and the remote Arunachal Pradesh in North East India.

Scott’s climbing credentials are impeccable. In the Autumn of 1975 he and the late Dougal Haston became the first British climbers to reach the summit of Everest as members of Chris Bonington’s South West Face Expedition. Scott went on to make history in 1979 when, alongside Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker he made the first ascent of Kangchenjunga’s North ridge in lightweight style without oxygen.

In all Scott has reached the summit of some 40 peaks, of which half were first ascents and all were climbed by new routes or for the first time in Alpine style, without the use of artificial oxygen, except Everest in 1975.

Scott is a previous President of the Alpine Club (1999 – 2001), the most prestigious climbing club in the UK, and he is recognised as one of the best ever. He has taken part in 45 expeditions to some of the wildest places on earth and has climbed the Seven Peaks – the highest mountains on the seven continents of the world.

Achievements like these are amazing in themselves but of course there are other considerations. The difficulties and dangers of the mountains mean death is closer than your shadow. In 1977 Scott fell near the summit of The Ogre (24,000ft) breaking both legs. The courage and determination to crawl for eight days through a blizzard to get off the mountain is a measure of the man.

The other inspiring thing about Scott’s career is his work to put something back into Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world. Scott has set up the registered charity (no.1067772) Community Action Nepal to help build schools, health posts and other projects in Nepal. Over the past three years the charity has provided over £200,000 for this work. He visits these projects regularly.

Doug Scott’s lecture will cover all manner of climbing experiences as well as an 18 day trek through dense jungle in the Indo-Tibetan frontier where his group became the first Westerners ever to go in and meet the Nishi tribe, who are still hunter-gatherers.

His witty narrative is supported by inspiring shots of the mountains of the world and the best of his career long collection of astounding photographs, providing a fascinating and sometimes brutal insight into the world in which we live.

3. Sacred Summits

All Himalayan peaks are of religious significance to the local people whether Anamists, Buddhists or Hindu. Their mountains are regarded as protectors and due deference is paid to them by way of prayer, offerings and pilgrimages around the local mountain or, in some cases, offerings are made on the summit. The Yelmo sherpa of Helambu make offerings by the large Chorten on the summit of Ama Yangri, once a year for their continued health and prosperity.

On climbing expeditions the sherpa erect prayer flags, burn juniper leaves and make offerings at base camp to the mountain they are about to climb with westerners, for their protection. Most expedition climbers find this a comfort and are reminded to proceed with reverence and to avoid desecrating the mountain with rubbish or evil thoughts.

Some of the peaks are undoubtedly more holy than others and in particular Kangchenjunga is the chief “Country-God” of Sikkim and his dwelling place is the mountain from which it takes its name. The word Kangchendzonga literally means “the five repositories or snow houses of the God’s treasure.

There is a festival celebrated in Sikkim called the “Phang Labsol” in which Kangchendzonga is worshipped for its unifying power. The festival marks the singing of the Treaty of brotherhood between the Lepchas and the Bhutias and Kangchendzonga was invoked to witness the occasion.

On this day, the guardian deity, Kangchendzonga, is portrayed by masked lama dancers as a fiery, red-faced diety with a crown of five skulls, riding a snow lion and carrying the victory banner.

Shivling known as the Matterhorn of the Himalaya, rears up above the source of the Ganges in the Indian Himalaya. Literally the name means Shiva’s Linga (penis) and is venerated by thousands of pilgrims throughout the year.

Carstensz Peak in New Guinea and the other peaks in the vicinity are revered by the local tribes people. They have witnessed the virtual desecration of one of their peaks which has literally been removed by the Freeport miners, the biggest gold and copper mines in the world. The local Amungme tribal leader said “Freeport is digging out our Mothers’ brains.” In the process 120,000 tons of highly toxic tailings are put into the Ajkwe river every day causing massive pollution to the consternation of the local and international environmental interests.

Doug Scott talks about such concerns of the local people in all the areas covered in this lecture as well as other issues such as modern commercial climbing expeditions. However, the main thrust of his lecture is describing first ascents up the south west face of Everest when he reached the summit with the late Dougal Haston on an expedition led by Chris Bonington in 1975; the third ascent of Kangchenjunga, the third highest summit in the world and the first ascent from the north west with Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker and Georges Bettembourg.

With Greg Child and Rick White he made the first ascent of the east pillar of Shivling after a 13 day, Alpine style push through two major storms. This is regarded as the most technically difficult climb made in Alpine style at the time. He completes the lecture with a first ascent on the 2000’ north face of Carstensz. It is likely to attract wide audiences especially following the 29 May 2003, the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest. The lecture is illustrated with a wonderful set of his slides.

4. Himayalas - Alpine Style

Doug Scott’s lecture, Himalaya Alpine Style, covers significant moments during climbs on -

Koh-i-bandaka – Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
Shishapangma South West Face – Tibet
Baruntse-Chamlang-Makalu – Nepal
Lobsang Spire-Broad Peak-K2 – Pakistan
Nanga Parbat-Mazeno Ridge – Pakistan.

Doug illustrates the lecture using slides from his highly acclaimed personal collection.

Doug's Climbing and Mountaineering CV

To arrange for Doug to give a lecture Contact Heason Events