UKC

Previous blog about Arnie has been closed but there was some doubt regarding Arnies demise. [Summer 1980]
I was with him the night before he went off soloing on Mt Blanc.
Arnie and I and members of The Portsmouth Mountaineering club were camping at Snells field and had gone for a meal in a dodgy restaurant near Cham station. None of us had any money and I cannot remember what possessed us at the time to 'eat out'
indeed one of our club [Pete Moody] had travelled out with just £10 to last 6 weeks. He earned money for food by washing up around the camp site.
The staff in the restaurant gave us free wine which flowed in excess. Indeed I remember the supply was a little slow in being produced so we just helped ourselves.
Arnie I recall was more than keen to 'refresh himself' and I distinctly recalling at the time how he was getting his monies worth !
He did mention that he wanted to solo something on Mt Blanc but I was certainly too pissed to remember.
We may have been thrown out but I cannot be sure about this.
What I do remember was traveling back in a car driven by Angus which was a 'hand me on car' which he had bought for £10 from a Brit returning to blighty.
On the way back the door got ripped off by a tree [well it would given that there were about 10 of us in it] but we all got back in one piece.
We eventually got to bed and Arnie was gone by the morning.
A few days later Angus [who had done a few climbs with him ] contacted the rescue services as he had not returned and we all gatherted up his stuff which eventually was delivered to the police station.
Years later I understand that his body emerged at a glacial snout and it was thought that he was killed whilst soloing the Brenva spur on Mt. Blanc.
As years passed I realised what an incredible guy he was and could have been.
Andy MacG

In reply to AMac: Yeh, a star guy, I did Left Wall with him way back when it was a 'biggy'. Thanks for the info and stirring memories of one of the good guys.

In reply to AMac:

Your account of one night in Cham sums up the mad folly of those times!

I met Arnie in Stoney in the winter of '74. He'd got (or was getting) the just published Hard Rock for his Christmas present. He was ecstatic!

I can't remember seeing him again until about 1980 when, with Mick Fowler, he was taking some big fliers off the attempted first ascent of Pinkingsane at Avon.

As you say, 'what an incredible guy he was... and could have been.'

Mick

In reply to AMac: Great post, thank you.