Don Whillans

People experience adventures on mountains all around the world. Personalities, fascinated by the world of the mountains, bring us closer to the freedom many people experience in such breezy hights.

Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock. There were only four main presenters of the programme during its long history: David Coleman, Frank Bough, Des Lynam, and Steve Rider. Changes in the structure of the programme during its last few years, however, meant it did not have a regular main presenter during this time. Among the more occasional hosts were Alan Weeks, David Icke, Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine, Bob Wilson, David Vine, Barry Davies, Dougie Donnelly, Harry Carpenter, Harry Gration, John Inverdale, Tony Gubba, Helen Rollason, Ray Stubbs and Sue Barker. The last editions of Grandstand were broadcast over the weekend of 27–28 January 2007.

This entertaining film documents the first ascent of the very difficult South Face of Annapurna, a huge Himalayan wall that the right team could achieve the seemingly impossible. The ascent of the South Face of Annapurna in 1970 was one of those breakthrough ascents - both technically and psychologically. Chris Bonington assembled the cream of British mountaineering and American Tom Frost for the attempt. The documentary is punctuated by wry observation, understatement and cutting humor from a by-gone age when the game of taking huge risks was matched by a determination not to take it too seriously.

In 1971, American Norman Dyhrenfurth led an expedition of 30 climbers from 13 different countries, including Don Whillans, Dougal Haston, Naomi Uemura, Pierre Mazeaud, Michel Vaucher, and others. This expedition aimed to simultaneously climb the southwest face and the direct west ridge. During the ascent, Indian climber Harsh Vardhan Bahuguna perished at Camp 3 in a storm. The expedition, already suffering from organizational problems, was severely tested after his death. The Americans decided, unilaterally, to abandon the west ridge. The Europeans, who had spent days equipping the route, were left out and felt relegated to the roles of route setters and porters. Frenchman Pierre Mazeaud, Swiss climbers Michel and Yvette Vaucher, and Italian Carlo Mauri then left the expedition. The Americans continued their ascent of the southwest face up to 8,350 meters before giving up.

First broadcast on Channel 4 in 1985, Lakeland Rock is a classic of climbing. Presented by Sir Chris Bonington, this 1990 documentary comprises four films that retrace five iconic routes, each representing a major milestone in a sport that reflects the social transformations of Great Britain. From the 1940s, when working-class people began climbing mountains, to the 1980s, marked by technological advancements, the rise of female climbers, and the soaring difficulty of sport climbing with its near-Olympic levels of physical preparation. In three of the films, the climbers recreate their first ascents, with a tribute to their deceased climbing partners, Don Whillans and Bill Peascod. Also included is the first filmed ascent of "Incantations" on Gable Crag by Pete Whillance and Dave Armstrong, which, rated E6 6b, was considered at the time to be the most difficult route in the Lake District.