Don Whillans has an iconic significance for generations of climbers. His epoch-making first ascent of Annapurna's South Face, achieved with Dougal Haston in 1970, remains one of the most impressive climbs ever made - but behind this and all his other formidable achievements lies a tough, recalcitrant reality: the character of the man himself.
Whillan's ascent of Annapurna's South Face has become a standard to which modern Himalayan climbers aspire. However behind this and his many other achievements lies a working class hero whose reputation for hell-raising ranks alongside the likes of George Best and John McEnroe.
