What was Don Whillans' job when he wasn't climbing?

He was a plumber. Whillans left school at fourteen to become a plumber's apprentice and returned to the trade between climbing seasons when money ran low, fixing boilers in Manchester between expeditions to the Himalaya.

Did Don Whillans invent the climbing harness?

He designed the Whillans sit harness, which became the template for modern climbing harnesses. It distributed weight more effectively than the waist loops previously used and made hanging belays considerably less uncomfortable.

What was the Rock and Ice Club?

It was a legendary climbing group of working-class lads from Manchester and Salford in the early 1950s. They pushed climbing standards well beyond what the establishment thought possible, often climbing in whatever boots they could afford.

Who Are They?

Don Whillans: The Plumber Who Climbed Everything Difficult First

A Salford apprentice who became Britain's most formidable alpinist, putting up routes in the Alps and Himalaya that others thought impossible. Known for blunt honesty, physical strength, and climbing in boots that would cripple most people.

30 September 20268 min read