Edinburgh, 2002, 1sT UK edition. 211 pp, 24 pp photos. Haston was a brilliant climber, noted for his Eiger Direct climb with Harlin and the first Briton to climb Everest, and a difficult personality. Dougal Haston was a man of extremes. Combining a hedonistic lifestyle with a career at the cutting edge of world mountaineering, he remains, even in death, a figure whose deeds have inspired climbers worldwide.
His good looks, exceptional talent, egocentricity, and obsession have ensured that his legend extends far beyond the climbing fraternity. Connor traces Haston's career from Scotland to the heights of Everest, Annapurna, and Mount McKinley; from his working-class background in the small village of Currie through his antiestablishment years in college and the fatal accident that drove him abroad; to his fearsome drinking and womanizing and, eventually, fulfillment and peace. This is the definitive biography of one of mountaineering's most exciting, charismatic, and controversial figures, containing fascinating extracts from Haston's own journals and diaries. Hardcover, DJ, New.
