Product Description

When John Cunningham was swept to his death off storm-tossed Anglesey in 1980, British climbing lost one of its greatest exponents and most forceful, yet enigmatic personalities. Born in an elemental part of Glasgow in 1927, Cunningham's life was shaped by his background in an East End tenement, a working life in Glasgow shipyards and an eventual escape to the crags and ice gullies of Scotland, the wastes of Antarctica and the peaks of the Himalayas and the Western Alps. Drawing on interviews with his contemporaries, friends in the legendary Creagh Dhu Mountaineering Club and his family, and containing previously unpublished photographs of first ascents, Creagh Dhu Climber is the story of a man whose personality and achievements continue to inspire but which have, until now, remained untold. Above all this book is a record of a way - and philosophy - of life that no longer exists.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32109 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Bill Skidmore, Climber
Johnny would be 72 now had he lived. Would he be playing golf? The great Creagh Dhu days are over. The Creagh Dhu Golf Club? No, it just doesn’t sound right.

George Botts, The Keswick reminder
It maps John Cunningham’s enthusiasms and personality, certainly, but it also sees him as a typical member of the famous Creagh Dhu Mountaineering Club.

Customer Reviews

History of the Creag Dubh, biography of its finest climber
Histories recorded in the oral tradition create legends. The Creag Dubh Club was forged in the clydebank shipyards, their energy raised Post war Scottish climbing standards to new heights, and Cunningham was the finest climber in that hardest club. This excellent biography gives posh edinburgh middle class types like myself the opportunity to sit around a fire in Jacksonville, and hear the stories for ourselves.