Don Whillans (18 May 1933 - 4 August 1985) was an English rock-climber and mountaineer. Born and raised in a two-up two-down house in Salford, Lancashire, he climbed with both Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both. He was an apprentice plumber when he first starting his climbing career with Joe Brown in 1951. Don met Joe Brown while climbing one day when Joe's climbing partner failed to follow Joe up a new route, Don shouted up to Joe to ask if he could try. and subsequently lead the second pitch of Joe's new route. Don had from an early age walked all around the local moors and downs, climbing therefore was the next step for an adventurous young boy. With Dougal Haston, he made the first ascent of the South Face of Annapurna in Bonington's 1970 expedition. May 18 the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my [birth]right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked... Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ... Some of the 1960s built high rise apartment blocks that have had recent multi-million Pound refurbishment Salford is a city in the northwest England, UK. It is part of the City of Salford - a metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, historically part of the county of Lancashire. ... Lancashire is a county in the North of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Joe Brown (born September 1930) is a English climber, born the seventh and last child of a family in the Manchester suburb of Ardwick. ... Sir Chris Bonington Sir Christian John Storey Bonington (born August 6, 1934 in Hampstead), is a British mountaineer. ... Dougal Haston (1940-1977) was a Scottish mountaineer born in Currie near Edinburgh. ... Annapurna is a series of peaks in the Himalaya, a 55-km-long massif whose highest point, Annapurna I, stands at 8,091 m (26,538 ft), making it the 10th-highest summit in the world and one of the 14 eight-thousanders. It is located east of a great...

Whillans was well-known for his heavy drinking, which harmed his career after the expedition to Annapurna and may have contributed to his early death from a heart attack. He also designed mountaineering equipment, including the "Whillans Harness", once described as designed to safely transport beer-guts to great height, and the "Whillans-box" expedition tent. He died at the age of fifty-two and was the subject of a biography called The Villain by the author-climber Jim Perrin in 2005 Alcoholism is the compulsive consumption of alcohol. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Jim Perrin is a British rock climber and travel writer. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The British Mountaineering Council maintain a climbing hut near the Roaches in his memory. The British Mountaineering Council (or BMC) is the national representative body of the UK that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hillwalkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers. ... A climbing hut provides accommodation for climbers and mountaineers, close to a climbing area. ... The Roaches (from the French les roches - the rocks) are a geographical feature situated above Leek and Tittesworth reservoir in the Peak District of the United Kingdom. ...

References

• Jim Perrin (2005), The Villain : the life of Don Whillans, Hutchinson, ISBN 0091794382.

External links

• List of Joe Brown's first ascents, including many with Don Whillans
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