British Everest South West Face Expedition 1975 – 50th Anniversary Lecture
- Wednesday 1st October 2025
Noel Dawson reports on this momentous lecture at the Royal Geographical Society, London, on the 24th September 2025.
On the evening of 24 September 2025, a large audience gathered at the RGS to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the British Everest South West Face Expedition of 1975. We were welcomed by Julie Summers who kindly took us back to that year and what was happening in the UK at the time. Some younger members of the audience would have been a bit bemused by Julie’s words. Milk was 7 pence, bread 16 pence and a pint of bitter 28 pence. We were all watching The Good Life and Fawlty Towers on television. Ah, the good old days! But not quite, as Britain was in the midst of some quite harsh economic difficulties. Times were challenging in many ways.
Julie invited Chris Bonington to the stage. Julie and Chris discussed how the Everest South West Face Expedition came to be. There had been thoughts of climbing the mountain by the normal route but it was suggested to Chris that perhaps a new route was the way forward. And so began the huge logistical challenge of gathering equipment for a journey to Everest. Chris and Julie were joined on the stage by Pertemba Sherpa and Ang Phurba. Film clips allowed the two men to share how they came to be part of Everest 1975. Chris reminded the audience of the excellent leadership by Pertemba, who coordinated the work of the Sherpas on the mountain. It was the beginning of a very strong friendship between the two men.
Arthur Chesterman, Mike Rhodes, Mike Thompson and Adrian Gordon told their stories of Everest. Mike Rhodes explained how Barclays Bank came to underwrite the cost of the expedition. Mike was running the Barclays Bank Climbing Club at the time and had to explain to his pregnant wife that he had great news … he was going to Everest! Mike Thompson explained the trials and tribulations of feeding the hungry men. He told the audience how Nick Estcourt did not want peanut butter, and he did not want anyone else eating it. Adrian spoke of his work organising and maintaining Camp II. He told us of one morning when everyone slept in and loads were very late leaving camp. He reflected on how special it was to work with the Sherpas. Arthur also spoke of important times at Camp II and of the delight of filming the expedition.
Charlie Clarke and Jim Duff, who spoke on screen from Tasmania, explained the health care of all in 1975. There was a mix of coughs and colds but also serious mountain illnesses like pulmonary oedema and cerebral oedema. Charlie was also in charge of dentistry, which was not really his area of expertise. Arthur interjected to quickly point out that no one on the team ever complained of a toothache during the expedition! The walk into Everest was stunning. Tea was brought to tents in the morning, breakfast was enjoyed, and then all shared extraordinary treks between tea houses with beautiful scenery and fine conversation. It was a wonderful experience.
Martin Boysen and Paul Braithwaite joined the others on the stage. Paul was a little reluctant, telling the audience how he was just happy sitting and enjoying the stories of others. Julie asked Martin and Paul about their early days on the mountain. Martin remembered how he joined the expedition late after an interesting experience on Trango Tower. He described his first Everest impressions by saying it all felt like a magic carpet had been laid out for him. Arthur Chesterman talked of the noises of the Khumbu Ice Fall and how it was continually an eerie place. It was obvious that this was a vivid memory which had remained with him for many years.
Paul talked of climbing with Nick Estcourt and Martin remembered his times with Peter Boardman and Mick Burke; one of his oldest and dearest friends. The team reached the Rock Band high on the South West Face of Everest. Paul described his ascent of the band with Nick Estcourt. He told the audience that such was the importance of Everest in 1975 that there was still seldom a day when he did not travel back to the mountain and the men he climbed with. He described a full day of climbing on the Rock Band and amused the audience by suggesting that such ascents in the Himalaya were good practice for Scottish climbing!
Chris Bonington talked of his selection of Doug Scott and Dougal Haston as the summit pairing. We watched a film clip of Doug remembering reaching the summit at 6 p.m. on the 24th September. Doug and Dougal marvelled at the curvature of the Earth, enjoyed a staggering sunset and then endured the coldest bivouac well above 8000 metres. A new route on Everest had been climbed.
We viewed on screen Chris’s tears of joy at the achievement of his mighty team and we heard the story of how Pertemba with Peter Boardman reached the summit. Martin reflected on how his oxygen set failed and how bitterly disappointed he was that he could not continue towards the summit. We heard of Mick Burke striving for the summit of Everest. Martin waited in camp and eventually Peter and Pertemba returned. Mick Burke was lost on Everest. The team returned to the UK as climbing heroes. They made newspaper headlines and had tea with the queen. Chris was awarded a CBE. It was all a little overwhelming.
The evening ended with some very special words, wonderfully spoken by Rosie Scott-Ward, describing the ongoing works of Community Action Nepal. Rosie’s words took me back to the RGS in 2015 when Doug came to the stage to explain the damage caused by the earthquake that struck Nepal during April that year. Still the work to rebuild continues. The Sherpa Heritage House, a small museum telling the story of the Sherpa way of life in the village of Khumjung, was one building badly damaged. Doug Scott promised Pertemba Sherpa that the building would be reconstructed and that his ancestral home would be preserved. The funds from Everest 50 will be used to complete phase two of that work.
We had all enjoyed a truly inspiring evening. It was a time of celebration but also an opportunity to remember some members of the team who are no longer alive. Those on the stage shared fond memories of Mick Burke; a strong-minded character who thrived on climbing and filming in the mountains. We listened to fascinating stories about Dougal Haston; the thoughtful mountaineer so highly respected by all he climbed with. Paul Braithwaite remembered Nick Estcourt who he said could be a bit grumpy and who, sadly, was only able to tell the Rock Band story until his loss on K2 in 1978. We heard of the tragic loss of Peter Boardman on the North East Ridge of Everest in 1982 and of the death of Hamish MacInnes, who, to the amazement of all on Everest in 1975, built enormous ladder bridges to allow some safe passage through the Khumbu Ice Fall. We shared special memories of Doug Scott who went to climb a mountain in 1975 and came back totally inspired by Nepal and its people. Nepal changed Doug’s life in many ways.
Many thanks to all the expedition members who travelled to the RGS, and particularly to Pertemba Sherpa and Ang Phurba, both so admired and respected by the British mountaineering community. Congratulations to the team in the background, led by John Porter, who made the evening such a success. Everyone on the stage shared their precious stories and their words were much enhanced by carefully chosen photographs and film clips, which must have taken numerous hours to put together. Julie Summers, as always, held the event together skilfully, leaving the storytelling to the guests with just the odd prompt to jog distant memories and to keep things on track. Thanks also to Community Action Nepal and Berghaus for all their time and work putting on such a captivating and important event.
Fifty years ago, an extremely talented group of British mountaineers journeyed to Everest. Some at home thought it was unlikely that they could climb the South West Face when others had failed. The expedition worked superbly as a team. All played an important role in the ascent of the mountain. Some explored the route, others supported making the path safe and establishing and equipping camps. Many shared the climbing higher on the face, eventually putting Doug Scott and Dougal Haston in a position to summit the mountain. It was a magnificent achievement.
For more information about the work of Community Action Nepal visit www.canepal.org.uk