On July 13, 1977, Chris Bonington and Doug Scott stood alone on the summit of Baintha Brakk – the mountain known as The Ogre (7,285 m) in the Karakoram range of Pakistan.
It was the first time humans had conquered a peak considered one of the most difficult and dangerous on the planet at that time.
No high-altitude porters. No fixed camps. No siege tactics. Just pure alpine style – six men daring to dream a bold dream on an unclimbed peak.
The Journey To The Summit
The team of six included: Chris Bonington, Doug Scott, Mo Anthoine, Clive Rowland, Nick Estcourt, and Martin Boysen.
They split into two groups:
Bonington, Estcourt, Rowland, and Anthoine took the left route.
Scott and Braithwaite attempted to climb directly up the ridge.
But disaster struck from the beginning:
Falling rock injured Tut (Martin Boysen).
Nick Estcourt suffered severe altitude sickness.
Doug Scott switched to support Bonington’s route.
After 9 days of continuous climbing in thin air, blizzards, and vertical granite walls, on July 13, 1977, Bonington and Scott reached the summit as the sun was setting behind K2 and Nanga Parbat.
A historic moment. But the joy lasted less than 30 minutes.
The Horrific Accident And The Hellish Descent
Just below the summit, Doug Scott slipped on a thin patch of ice. Both of his legs snapped below the knees (both tibias shattered).
Bonington immediately pulled Doug onto a small rock ledge, removed Doug’s boots, and pressed his bare feet against his own chest to prevent frostbite. They spent a terrifying night in a blizzard.
The descent began:
Doug had to crawl on his hands and shattered knees.
Bonington rappelled and drove pitons, lowering Doug meter by meter.
Blizzards struck, visibility nearly zero.
Food ran out. Bonington suffered broken ribs and severe wrist swelling.
Mo Anthoine and Clive Rowland climbed back up from below to assist. They took shelter in a snow hole for two more days. Doug was frozen and in excruciating pain.
They dragged Doug down for days, crossing moraine, glaciers, and rough terrain. When they reached Base Camp, they found it abandoned, with no food supplies.
Mo ran ahead to get help. Nick Estcourt led 12 people back. The team carried Doug across treacherous rocky sections.
Bonington limped behind, coughing up blood, exhausted, and nearly lifeless.
Doug Scott was eventually flown to Rawalpindi with both legs severely broken. Bonington was dropped from a plane onto the lawn of the British Embassy in Islamabad – a gaunt figure in tattered clothing, silent and utterly spent.
Legacy
The Ogre is not just a mountain. It is a symbol of pure alpine style: daring to dream big, climbing light, accepting immense risk, and paying with one’s own body.
Chris Bonington and Doug Scott did not just conquer The Ogre. They survived it – an achievement considered one of the greatest and most epic climbs of the 20th century.
Doug Scott continued climbing afterwards despite using crutches and permanent leg disabilities. Bonington became one of Britain’s legendary mountaineers and continued writing books, inspiring generations to come.
The story of Bonington and Scott on The Ogre is the clearest proof of the famous mountaineering saying:
“Getting to the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”
They reached the summit.
And they paid the highest price to return.
It was not just conquest.
It was survival – and in climbing history, survival is the highest style of all.
Main sources:
“The Ogre” – Chris Bonington (detailed memoir of the 1977 climb).
Himalayan Database and Alpine Journal.
Interviews with Doug Scott and Chris Bonington after the climb.
Photos and documents from the Chris Bonington Archives.