| Stokesley banker conquers the Matterhorn
Then in 1949 - Exactly 50 years ago, a former Stokesley bank official was in the Swiss Alps about to face a challenge of a lifetime - the ascent of the
Matterhorn.
Accompanied by a Swiss colleague, Maurice Wilson, of the Avenue Stokesley, reached the 14,692 summit in 3 hrs 20
mins, 2 hours faster than the average time.
Recalling the climb, Mr Wilson said the weather was fine when they set out, but as they reached “the roof” the weather began to close in and they were hampered by powdered snow on the ice. “Once we reached the summit the weather was so bad I only had time to take one photograph before we started down. The descent was tedious, in fact I can think of more enjoyable climbs.”
A founder member of the Mountaineering Association, and the Alpine Club, Maurice Wilson undertook his first climb in the Alps in 1939 when he took on the 11,000ft
Straheghorn.
Always keen to help and encourage young climbers he devoted much time to lecturing on the need for caution and safety. “Its surprising the number of youngsters who think they can tackle a mountain using little more than their mother’s second best clothes line.”
He declines to describe mountaineering as a sport, but rather as a pursuit. ”Sport implies competition and humiliation, there is no dishonour in failing to beat a mountain.”
His last major climb was to the top of Ben Nevis in 1984 at the age of 84. “It was one of the hardest days of my life” he grinned. “The descent was dreadful, my feet wondered what I was doing to them.” Maurice, who is President of the Stokesley Society continued to mountain walk until he suffered a heart attack two years ago.
This article originally appeared in the November 1999 issue of Now
& Then Magazine |
