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Mick Fowler

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Mick Fowler
Personal information
Born1956 (age 67–68)[1]
Wembley, England
OccupationTax inspector (retired)
Climbing career
Type of climber
Highest grade
Known for
  • Three time winner of the Piolet d'Or
  • First British climber to climb at rock grade E6
  • First climber to register a Scottish winter grade VI ice route
First ascents
  • Linden (E6 6b, 1976)
  • The Shield Direct (VII/7, 1979)
  • Golden Pillar Spantik (ED+, 1987)
  • N Pillar Taweche (ED+, 1995)
  • NW Arwa Tower (ED+, 1999)
  • NW Singuniang (ED+, 2002)
  • Prow of Shiva (ED+, 2012)
  • N Gave Ding (ED+, 2016)
Updated on 5 August 2023

Michael Fowler (born 1956) is a British rock climber, ice climber, mountaineer and climbing author. He is internationally noted for his alpine climbing, and was awarded the Piolet d'Or three times, with Paul Ramsden, in 2003, 2013, and 2016, for alpine-style first ascents of faces in the Himalayas. Fowler was one of the first British rock climbers to free an E6-graded traditional rock climbing route (Linden, 1976), and the first ice climber to free a consensus grade VI mixed climbing Scottish winter route (The Shield Direct, 1979).

In the British Isles, Fowler is also noted for unusual and esoteric climbing including crumbling sea cliffs and sea stacks, and using mixed climbing techniques on chalk cliffs. In 1989, Fowler was voted the "Mountaineers' Mountaineer" in a poll of his peers by The Observer. Fowler stayed as an amateur climber and maintained a full-time job in the HM Revenue and Customs for almost forty years. Many of Fowler's awards were earned climbing Himalayan peaks during his annual holiday leave from the Revenue.

Climbing career

In 1976, Fowler became one of the first climbers in Britain to make a first free ascent (FFA) of a traditional climbing route at the E6-grade of difficulty when he freed Linden on the "Eliminates Wall" at Curbar Edge.[2][3] In 1979, Fowler also became the first British climber to ascend a mixed climbing route at a consensus Scottish winter grade VI of difficulty (i.e. formally registered in the guidebook) when he freed The Shield Direct with Victor Saunders on Ben Nevis; it later turned out to be grade VII/7 route.[2][4]

Fowler was a pioneer of unusual and adventurous climbs, including rock climbing on crumbling and unsound British sea cliffs and sea stacks, and using mixed climbing techniques to create new routes on the chalk cliffs of England's southeast coast.[2][5] The Stack Rock (2020) guidebook for climbing sea stacks in the British Isles, identifies the era of "Fowler's forrays" from 1986 to 1993, as being one of the most important in the development of sea stack climbing, including his "outrageous" 1991 ascent of The Needle on Hoy (XS 5c).[6] Fowler even famously ice-climbed a 65-foot (20 m) frozen water icicle from a broken toilet at St Pancras.[5][7]

It is for alpine climbing that Fowler came to international recognition and the application of the alpine style (i.e. small teams carrying all their own equipment with no support) to high-altitude Himalayan faces. In his autobiography, Fowler recounts that by 1981, he completed his "tick list" of the European alpine classic north faces including the Walker Spur (1979) and the north faces of the Eiger (1980) and the Matterhorn (1980), when he met Alan Rouse who recommended he leave Europe and visit Peru. Fowler took his advice and learned to squeeze more ambitious expeditions into his 30-day annual leave from the Revenue.[8] By 1987, Fowler and Victor Saunders, won international acclaim for their groundbreaking alpine-style ascent of the "Golden Pillar" on Spantik in the Karakoram (Fowler called it the "Walker Spur" of the Himalaya), which is still considered a milestone in high-altitude mountaineering.[9][10]

After the success of the "Golden Pillar", Fowler continued to focus on making important alpine-style ascents of high-altitude Himalayan new routes including the Northeast Buttress of Taweche (1995) and the Northwest Face of Arwa Tower (1999).[11] In 2003, Fowler and climbing partner Paul Ramsden, won the Piolet d'Or for their 2002 alpine-style ascent of the Northwest face of Siguniang;[12] they were the first British climbers to win mountaineering's most prestigious award.[13] The duo would win a second Piolet d'Or for their 2012 alpine-style ascent of the dramatic Northeast Buttress (the "Prow") of Mount Shiva [de].[12] In 2016, they won a third Piolet d'Or for their alpine-style ascent of North Face of Gave Ding.[14][12]

Other climbing

In 2010, Fowler was elected to serve as president of the Alpine Club, which was a 3-year term from 2011 to 2013, after beating Henry Day in the first-ever contested election in the organization's 153-year history.[15] In 2014, Fowler was appointed as a Patron of the British Mountaineering Council.[16]

Climbing author

Fowler has written three books on his climbs and life as a climber, Vertical Pleasure: The Secret Life of a Taxman (1995), On Thin Ice (2005), and No Easy Way (2018); all three were shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature (never winning outright). Fowler won the Jon Whyte Award for Mountain Literature at the 2005 Banff Mountain Book Festival for On Thin Ice,[17] and a compilation of Fowler's writings about his climbs with Victor Saunders by Eric Vola, titled Les Tribulations de Mick et Vic, won the Grand Prix Award at the Passy Book Festival in France in 2015.[4]

Legacy

In a 1989 poll carried out by the British newspaper, The Observer, amongst British climbers, Fowler was voted the "mountaineer's mountaineer".[13][17] In 2005, Chris Bonington elaborated on The Observer poll saying "... it reflected climber approval of his highly original approach to the sport – explorations on chalk sea cliffs, alpine north faces, Scottish crags in winter and summer, and his first expeditions to major ranges which resulted in superb climbs ...".[18] Bonnington said Fowler had delivered on this early vote of confidence by becoming "one of our greatest mountaineers".[18][13][19] Fowler, with climbing partner Paul Ramsden, won the Piolet d'Or three times, a feat achieved by only four climbers.[12]

In 2005, The Telegraph said he was considered "a legend by other climbers, not least because of his ability to climb hard and remote mountains", but that by remaining an "amateur climber", he achieved his reputation on "all in the annual 30 days he gets off work".[13] In 2018, The Sunday Times newspaper called him "the world's greatest amateur climber".[7] Fowler said that he avoided the eight-thousander peaks as the circa 8-weeks of acclimatization would not fit into his 30 days of yearly holiday allowance from his full-time job.[20][19] He said that he had considered turning professional at times, but that he was concerned more regular exposure to climbing would dull his enthusiasm for the sport.[13]

Personal life

For almost 40 years from 1977 to his retirement in 2017, Fowler worked full-time for HM Revenue and Customs rising to the position of Assistant Director in the Shares and Assets Valuation Division, which is based in Nottingham (Fowler relocated from the Revenue in London in the early 1990s);[5][7]

Fowler married his artist wife Nicola ("Nicki") Duggan in 1991[citation needed], they have two children.[13]

In 2017, Fowler underwent treatment for anal cancer which required him to use a colostomy bag; however this did not stop him from climbing in the Himalayas in 2019,[21] and on make first ascents of new routes on sea stacks off the Irish coast in 2023.[22]

Notable ascents

Traditional climbing

Ice and mixed climbing

Mountaineering and alpine climbing

The shining cristalized marble Golden Pillar of Spantik (centre)

Awards and honours

For climbing

For writing

  • W.H. Murray Literary Prize in 2002 for his essay Climbing in the Cold on Scottish winter climbing.[46]
  • Grand Prix Award, Passy Book Festival in France in 2015, for compilation of Fowler's writings by Eric Vola as Les Tribulations de Mick et Vic.[1][4]

Bibliography

Books

  • Fowler, Mick (2018). No Easy Way: The challenging life of the climbing taxman. Vertebrate Publishing. ISBN 978-1-911342-75-5.
  • Fowler, Mick (2006). Vertical Pleasure: Early Climbs in Britain, the Alps, the Andes and the Himalaya (reprint ed.). Baton Wicks. ISBN 1-898573-67-0.
  • Fowler, Mick (2005). On Thin Ice: Alpine Climbs in the Americas, Asia and the Himalaya. Baton Wicks. ISBN 1-898573-58-1.

Journals

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Mick Fowler". The Himalayan Club. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Harlin, John (October 2003). American Alpine Journal 2003: The World's Most Significant Climbs. American Alpine Club. p. 167. ISBN 978-0930410933.
  3. ^ "Mick Fowler on Escaping a Crevasse in the Tien Shan, China". Rock & Ice. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Franz, Derek (25 October 2016). "Mick Fowler and Victor Saunders make first ascent of Sersank Peak's north face". Alpinist. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Thompson, Ian (17 October 1996). "The Secret Life of a Tax Collector: Climbing Mountains". New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  6. ^ Mellor, Chris (2020). Sea Stacks (PDF) (4th ed.). pp. 11–12. ISBN 1-899098-05-4. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Hellen, Nicholas (2 December 2018). "Meet Mick Fowler, the world's greatest amateur climber — and a retired taxman". The Sunday Times.
  8. ^ Fowler, Mick (2006). "Chapter 8. Taulliraju". Vertical Pleasure: Early Climbs in Britain, the Alps, the Andes and the Himalaya. Baton Wicks Publications. ISBN 1898573670.
  9. ^ Slawinski, Raphael (2002). "Degrees of Freedom: From dry tooling to figure fours, M-climbing in the mountains is redefining the vision of what's a climbable line". American Alpine Journal. 44 (76): 72–85. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Sputnik Golden Pillar". PlanetMountain. 2000. Retrieved 1 August 2023. 1st ascent of Golden (NW) Pillar by the Englishmen Victor Saunders and Mick Fowler, 5-11/08/1987 (5th overall ascent of Spantik). At the time it was heralded as one of the greatest alpine-style ascents in the Himalayas. The route, over 2000m long, climbs the 1000m high NW Pillar with Scottish ice V/VI climbing.
  11. ^ a b c d Beckwidth, Christian (1 June 2003). "Editor's Note:Piolet d'Or 2003". Alpinist. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h McDonald, Bernadette (2017). "Piolets d'Or: A Short History of the Golden Ice Axe". Himalayan Journal. 72. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Cooper, Tarquin (11 July 2005). "The taxman cometh". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden complete first ascent of Gave Ding in Nepal". PlanetMountain. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  15. ^ a b Goodwin, Stephen (7 October 2010). "Mick Fowler elected Alpine Club President". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Fowler and Littlejohn become new BMC Patrons". Climbr Magazine. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  17. ^ a b c Stevenson, David. "On Thin Ice: Alpine Climbs in the Americas, Asia and the Himalaya". American Alpine Journal. 46 (80): 486.
  18. ^ a b Fowler, Mick (2005). "FOREWORD by Chris Bonnington". On Thin Ice: Alpine Climbs in the Americas, Asia and the Himalaya. Baton Wicks. ISBN 1-898573-58-1.
  19. ^ a b c Hobley, Nicholas (4 October 2010). "Sulamar North Face first ascent by Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden". PlanetMountain. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  20. ^ Ruiz, Celia (28 January 2007). "Mick Fowler's Fair Play" [es]. Desnivel (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Derbyshire climber who uses colostomy bag to lead Himalayas trip". BBC. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  22. ^ Harby, Jennifer (19 May 2023). "Colostomy bag climber makes first ascent of Kerry sea stack". BBC. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  23. ^ Hutton, Mike (3 November 2022). "How the World's Boldest Climbing Area Got that Way". Climbing. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  24. ^ Thompson, Simon (March 2012). Unjustifiable Risk?: The Story of British Climbing (2nd ed.). Cicerone Press. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Fowler, Mick (2006). "Appendix: Climbing Record". Vertical Pleasure: Early Climbs in Britain, the Alps, the Andes and the Himalaya (reprint ed.). Baton Wicks. ISBN 1-898573-67-0.
  26. ^ Richardson, Simon (2005). "Under the Weather". American Alpine Journal. 47 (79): 116-127.
  27. ^ Griffin, Lindsay (2003). "South America, Peru, Cordillera Blanca, Taulliraju, East Buttress, Second Ascent". American Alpine Journal. 77 (45): 296–297.
  28. ^ Saunders, Victor (1987). "The British Caucasus Expedition 1986" (PDF). The Alpine Journal: 129–135. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  29. ^ Fowler, Mick (1992). "Asia, Pakistan, Ultar (Bojohagur Duanasir II) Attempt and Hunza Peak Ascent". American Alpine Journal. 34 (56): 256.
  30. ^ Ambuhl, Hans; Siegrist, Stephan (2012). "Cerro Kishtwar, West Face and South Ridge, Yoniverse; White Sapphire (6,040m), West Face, La Virée des Contemporains". American Alpine Journal. 54 (86): 288.
  31. ^ Fowler, Mick (1996). "Taweche North-East Buttress" (PDF). The Alpine Journal. 101: 68–76. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  32. ^ Fowler, Mick (1998). "A Touch Too Much?". American Alpine Journal. 40 (72). Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club: 53–68. ISBN 0-930410-78-5. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  33. ^ Burdet, Denis (15 June 2007). "North East Face of Arwa Tower finally climbeed". Alpinist. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  34. ^ Fowler, Mick (2001). "Mount Kennedy - North Buttress". The Alpine Journal. 106: 3–11. ISBN 9780948153662.
  35. ^ "Fowler and Watts make first ascent of Kajaqiao". PlanetMountain. 22 November 2005. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  36. ^ "British Manamcho Expedition 2007". PlanetMountain. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  37. ^ "Mick Fowler and Dave Turnbull first ascent of Mugu Chuli in Nepal". PlanetMountain. 29 October 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  38. ^ "Kishtwar Kailash: first ascent by Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden". PlanetMountain. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  39. ^ Ramsden, Paul (2014). "Kishtwar Kailash, Southwest Face". American Alpine Journal. 56 (88): 337.
  40. ^ Cameron, Gwen (3 November 2014). "Permit Fiasco Leads Two Teams to One Kishtwar Peak". Alpinist. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  41. ^ "Mick Fowler Climbs New Himalaya Route". Gripped Magazine. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  42. ^ Burnside, Peter (26 October 2016). "Fowler, Saunders achieve first ascent on Sersank". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  43. ^ "Mick Fowler: Albert Mountain Award 2012". King Albert Foundation. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  44. ^ Griffin, Lindsay (5 October 2012). "Fowler and Price receive King Albert I Memorial Medals". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  45. ^ "MICK FOWLER: For his lifelong and outstanding contribution to the world of rock climbing and mountaineering. (Awarded July 2016)". University of Cumbria. July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  46. ^ "W.H. Murray Literary Prize". Scottish Mountaineering Club. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
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