Chris Bonington

Biography

Chris Bonington, born on August 6, 1934, in Hampstead, London, is one of the most influential British mountaineers of the 20th century.

He discovered climbing as a teenager, learning his craft on the crags of Wales and Scotland, before quickly making a name for himself in the Alps. By the late 1950s, he had participated in major ascents, such as the Bonatti Pillar in Les Drus in 1958. He established himself as one of the most talented members of a generation of British climbers, alongside figures such as Don Whillans, Ian Clough, and Joe Brown. His career is marked by iconic first ascents: the central pillar of Frêney on Mont Blanc in 1961, the Central Tower of Paine in Patagonia in 1963, a...