Chris Bonington facts for kids
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Christian John Storey Bonington |
| Main discipline | Mountaineering |
| Other disciplines | Climbing, Alpinism, Art |
| Born | 6 August 1934 Hampstead, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Career | |
| Notable ascents | Annapurna II (1960) Nuptse (1961) North Wall of the Eiger (1962) Old Man of Hoy (1966) Changabang (1975) Baintha Brakk/Ogre (1977) Kongur (1981) Mount Everest (1985) |
| Famous partnerships | Ian Clough, Don Whillans, Jan Długosz |
| Family | |
| Spouse |
Wendy Bonington
(m. 1962; died 2014)Loreto Herman
(m. 2016) |
| Children | Conrad (died 1966) Daniel (b. 1967) Rupert (b. 1969) |
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, born on August 6, 1934, is a famous British mountaineer. He is known for his many climbing adventures around the world.
Chris Bonington has led or joined nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four trips to Mount Everest. He has achieved many first ascents, meaning he was the first person to climb certain routes or peaks.
Contents
Chris Bonington's Early Life and First Climbs
Chris Bonington started climbing when he was 16 years old in 1951. He went to University College School in Hampstead, London. After school, he joined the Royal Fusiliers and then the Royal Tank Regiment in the British Army. He spent three years serving in North Germany. Later, he worked as a mountaineering instructor for the Army.
In 1958, Bonington was part of the first British team to climb the South West Pillar of the Aiguille du Dru. In 1961, he made the first ascent of the Central Pillar of Freney on Mont Blanc with his climbing partners. In 1960, he was part of a successful team that climbed Annapurna II.
After leaving the Army in 1961, Bonington became a professional mountaineer and explorer. He traveled to many places, covering expeditions for The Daily Telegraph Magazine. This included climbing Sangay in Ecuador and hunting caribou with Inuit people on Baffin Island. In 1968, he joined a British Army team trying to be the first to travel down the Blue Nile river.
Mount Everest Expeditions
Chris Bonington is well-known for his attempts and successes on Mount Everest. In 1972, he tried to climb the south-west face of Everest but did not reach the top. He tried again in 1975, leading the 1975 British Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition. This time, his team was successful, with four climbers reaching the summit. Sadly, one climber, Mick Burke, died during his summit attempt.
In April 1985, at the age of 50, Bonington briefly became the oldest person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. This record has been broken many times since then.
Books and Other Achievements
Chris Bonington has written or edited many books about his adventures. He has also appeared on television many times. He was the leader of Lancaster University from 2005 to 2014. He is also the honorary president of the British Orienteering Federation. Since 1974, he has lived in Cumbria, England.
He is a patron and former president of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC). He also took over from Edmund Hillary as the honorary president of Mountain Wilderness. This group works to protect mountain areas and their natural beauty.
Chris Bonington's Family Life
Chris Bonington's first wife, Wendy, was an illustrator of children's books. She passed away in 2014 from a disease called motor neuron disease (MND). Her passing inspired Bonington to support charities that help people with MND. They had three children: Conrad, Daniel, and Rupert. Conrad died in 1966.
In 2016, Chris Bonington married Loreto McNaught-Davis. Loreto was the wife of another mountaineer and TV presenter, Ian McNaught-Davis, who passed away in 2014.
Awards and Recognition
Chris Bonington has received many awards for his contributions to mountaineering.
- In 1974, he received the Founder's Medal from the Royal Geographical Society.
- In 1985, he received the Lawrence of Arabia Memorial Medal.
- In 2008, he was given the Golden Eagle Award for his services to the outdoors.
- He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1976.
- He was knighted in 1996, which means he received the title "Sir."
- In 2010, he was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO).
- In 2015, he received the 7th Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award, a very important award in climbing.
Notable Climbs by Chris Bonington
Here are some of the most famous climbs Chris Bonington has completed:
- 1960 Annapurna II (First ascent)
- 1961 Central Pillar of Freney, Mont Blanc (First ascent)
- 1962 North Wall of the Eiger (First British ascent)
- 1963 Central Tower of Paine, Patagonia (First ascent)
- 1966 Old Man of Hoy (First ascent)
- 1974 Changabang, Garhwal Himalaya (First ascent)
- 1975 Southwest face of Mount Everest
- 1977 Baintha Brakk (First ascent)
- 1981 Kongur Tagh (First ascent)
- 1985 Mount Everest (as part of a Norwegian expedition)
- 2014 The Old Man of Hoy (climbed again at age 80 to raise money for charity)
Expeditions Led by Chris Bonington
Chris Bonington led several major expeditions, even if he didn't always reach the summit himself:
- 1970 British Annapurna South Face expedition: Successful, but Ian Clough died.
- 1972 Mount Everest (south-west face): Unsuccessful.
- 1975 British Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition: Successful, but Mick Burke died.
- 1978 K2 (west face): Unsuccessful, and Nick Estcourt died.
- 1982 Mount Everest (north-east ridge): Unsuccessful, and Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker died.
Images for kids
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Sir Chris Bonington
See also
In Spanish: Chris Bonington para niños
- Rock climbing
- Ice climbing
- List of Mount Everest records
- List of Mount Everest summiters by number of times to the summit
