UKC

Kevin Thaw writes, "Alan as you know had a troubled existence on our planet, so much so he decided to bail out on us. He took his own life on the morning of March 9th.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/

See also.. http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=232322

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

This is both shocking and sad.
How about changing the title of the thread/ news please Mick? Wouldn't think the family would like it.

Davie

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:So sad, R.I.P. Alan.

In reply to I am the God of Strathyre:

I'd second that!

In reply to yesbutnobutyesbut: The title of this thread is offensive. Please show a bit more respect.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

This quote my be worth thinking about.

"It is still unclear how Mr Mullin died, and the Scottish Prison Service said a fatal accident inquiry would be held as a matter of course."

In reply to I am the God of Strathyre:

Agreed. Something a bit more respectful Mick.

In reply to wcdave:

Changed....I was using Kevin's words.

Cheers,

Mick

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: Cheers.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Thanks.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: very sad news particularly the circumstances surrounding his death.

In a way Alan was a breath of fresh air in the highly dour Scottish winter scene, the story of him on Citadel still makes me laugh and Im sure there are many more! I suppose he was one of the first in the modern era to really push the boundaries, albeit somewhat controversialy at times. I think many of us have been wondering what he was up to in his life after retiring. I trust he has finally found peace now.

RIP Alan

In reply to Erik B: Very sad news. I remember my mate sent me an account Alan had written of his ascent of Centurion (i think) on the Ben, solo in winter. Remember being blow away by the guys drive, reminded me a bit of Mark Twight, only Alan actually seemed to enjoy climbing. A friend of a friend followed him up the first ascent of Frozen Sorrow, and by all accounts he was an unfeasibly driven and talented climber, in it for the right reasons, a good laugh to climb with, and terryfyingly strong.

In reply to Erik B: From the other thread....

Very sad news. Thoughts and condolences to all those close to Alan.

Strangely, I was out with a mate the other week, driving through Conon Bridge, and we got to wondering whatever happened to Alan.

Totally agree with you Erik. Alan, and the controversy he created, were quite refreshing, and it's a shame, in a way, that there's no 'characters' like Alan around these days.

And he also provided UKC with the best rant I've ever read some years back

In reply to wcdave:


http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/info/search.php?forum=0&dates=1&na...

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

I only met him the once half way up the Mess of Pottage, around the time he was just starting to climb with Nisbet. His enthusiasm was pouring out of him and in 5 minutes he told me excitedly about all the hard routes he was trying, how much he loved hard stuff and his theories on gear. I was left dazzled, and in no doubt that here was a man on a mission. He certainly walked the walk during his career. He was an inspiration to a generation of young winter climbers, reading of his achievements and watching standards rocket.
R.I.P.

Davie

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

He was described variously as spirited, driven... and a ranter!

How sad to lose someone with such spirit.

In reply to John Rushby:

I witnessed Alan ranting when he stayed in Bishop with us. Intense. R.I.P.

M

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

A sad day. Respect due to the man for his drive and determination. Theres not too many come from special moulds required to make a character like that.

Condolances to family and friends.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

So sad. I had a few emails from him mentioning things he wished to do but could not find partners of suitable standard and dedication a lot of the time. Really was the epitome of driven, no half measures.

RIP.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

I'm very sorry.

Mick

In reply to: just re-read the rant,
picked up this....
Dear Alan
If you find something better then climbing (even with all the shit stuff) give us a ring.

Oh and just in case this is a prelude to your own and spectalar suiside (jumping under the carngorm venicular prehaps?)all I can say of the late Alan Mullin was as a climber he was a right c***t - but as a man he was great company and one of modern UK climbings great enigmas (unfathanable to all but thoes who new knew to crack the code).

Don't die Alan - I need someone around who's spelling is worse then mine!

And rember what old winston said; 'when you're going through hell - keep on going'

Andy

maybe andy k saw something.....

either way, sad loss , pity he couldnt stay

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: Hi Mick, there was news of this last week, but I didn't want to go blind onto this forum. I had many chats with Alan in Tiso in Inverness and he was always someone who found the rest of the human race difficult and testing. He was quite unable to cope with the criticism that he got, and I suspect that accounts for the derth of writing that he produced (despite his achievements)I liked the guy,and I hope that he has peace. Along with others, I find the fact that people with mental health problems are still held in custody unacceptable. If there was ever an environment that was guaranteed to make you kill yourself, that's it.Time something was done.

In reply to davie:

Hi davie...Kevin emailed me last week and told me. There was a program on Chn 4 last night about women and suicides in prison. I just find this unfathomable, that he would be put inside after attempting to take his life.

Mick

In reply to davie: Agree with you. I worked in mental health and it was reminiscent of the film "a flight over a coucou's nest" with Jack Nicholson.

In reply to davie: I was guilty of criticising him after his crazy sorrow ascent, but I think noone is immune from criticism in the scottish winter scene otherwise the ethic which Alan obviously portrayed with pride to the rest of the world would crumble. I was also pretty immature back then

I have several mates who have ended up in jail during very low periods in their life, the two seem to go hand in hand in this country, something definitely needs to be done to sort this out...

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: I'm a mental health nurse by training Mick, and it makes me very angry to think that this kind of thing still happens, unchallenged and unnoticed. Increasing people's isolation, removing their support networks and subsituting it with a regime dedicated to control is bound to kill people. He could, and should have been in hospital.There is an inevitability about what he did, but it should not have been facilitated by being imprisoned. Davie

In reply to davie:

We are not that far removed from the 19th Century at times. It seems that mental health still has a real taboo to it. For someone to act as he did and be placed in a cell on acharge, and not a secure unit is not only a tragedy but quite disgusting.

I only hope that out of this there will be a review of procedure within that Police service.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:
Shocking news. I met Alan on the hill after he had climbed Men in Black in appalling weather and also witnessed his ascent of Steeple from the shelter stone bivi. I've certainly criticised him in the past for the latter ascent but the former showed me he was capable of doing the business in full conditions.

I think his drive and ambition to get up the hardest lines in the country opened the door for the new hard climbers of today at a time when the Scottish winter scene seemed a little stagnant. Fully agree with the many comments on his dreadful treatment by mental health/prison services. A tremendous loss to Scottish climbing.

In reply to davie:
Hello Davie. You will not be surprise to learn that I know where you are coming from.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

My condolences to his family and friends.

An utter tragedy for him, his family and friends and the climbing community. He was obviously an extreme character whose life will be celebrated. Suicide is horrendous, especially for the family. It leaves so much anger and so much guilt in it's wake.

It is one of the reasons that I became a Psychiatrist.

The circumstances of his death require clarification. There may have been a breach of the duty of care but it is also possible that nobody did anything wrong and he died anyway.

Let us hope and demand that the Procurator Fiscal/Sheriff will be thorough in the subsequent enquiry and that any deficiencies in the system or personnel involved that are uncovered will be rectified.

Grant Farquhar