Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CBE (born 6 August 1934 in Hampstead, London) is a British mountaineer.
His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.
Educated at University College School in Hampstead, he joined the Royal Fusiliers before attending Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and on graduation was commissioned in the Royal Tank Regimen...
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Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CBE (born 6 August 1934 in Hampstead, London) is a British mountaineer.
His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.
Educated at University College School in Hampstead, he joined the Royal Fusiliers before attending Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and on graduation was commissioned in the Royal Tank Regiment in 1956. After three years in North Germany, he spent two years at the Army Outward Bound School as a mountaineering instructor.
In 1958, Bonington was part of the party that made the first British ascent of the South West Pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in 1958, and the first ascent of the Central Pillar of Freney on the south side of Mont Blanc in 1961 with Don Whillans, Ian Clough and Jan Dlugosz. In 1960 he was part of the successful joint the British-Indian-Nepalese forces expedition to Annapurna II.
On leaving the British Army in 1961,...
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