Not sure if anyone has yet mentioned here that Donald Bennet died recently. He hadn’t been well for a number of years, following a stroke, and he gradually became something of a forgotten man in terms of Scottish hillgoing. But in his day he was a stalwart of the SMC, writing their Southern Highlands and Western Highlands guidebooks (I still use my copies of these), and he was a fine photographer. He was also very active in the early days of the MCofS – I believe he was secretary for a number of years, and there is a brief obituary notice on their website:
http://www.mcofs.org.uk/news.asp?s=2&id=MCS-N11145&nc=Information%2...
I was once told by a friend that even though Donald was keen on the idea of ski tows in Lurcher’s Gully, he dutifully went along with the agreed MCofS anti position in terms of correspondence etc and no one from outside would have known that he took a different view on the personal level – this has always struck me as very impressive if true, and something which painted him in a good and unselfish light.
He was an excellent all-round hill man, whether climbing or walking, and completed a round of the Munros in 1984. There is a certain sad irony in one of this country’s most accomplished ski-mountaineers having died almost unnoticed during a spell when the media has been full of all sorts of news and speculation about avalanches.
