Alex MacIntyre

MacIntyre was born in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, to Scottish Catholic parents. His first experience of climbing came after his parents moved to Letchmore Heath while Alex studied for his A-levels at Watford Grammar School. Almost as soon as he entered the school, MacIntyre joined the London Mountaineering Club and frequently went on weekend climbing trips to north Wales. In 1972, he was awarded four grade As at A-level. He then attended Leeds University to study Geography and Economics, later switching to Law.

As a member of the Leeds University Mountaineering Club (LUMC), he developed his climbing skills, along with fellow students John Syrett, Brian Hall and John Powell.{{cite web|url=http://www.mountain-heritage.org/entity.php?ID=172|title=Mountain Heritage Trust|website=mountain-heritage.org|access-date=10 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207132501/http://www.mountain-heritage.org/entity.php?ID=172|archive-date=7 February 2016|url-status=dead}} After climbing Yorkshire's gritstone, MacIntyre travelled to Scotland to develop his ice climbing technique and understanding of winter climbing conditions. On 14 March 1975, he made a solo ascent of two of the test pieces on Ben Nevis – Zero Gully and Point Five.

Alex was one of several British climbers who were proficient in 'front point" climbing, a style of climbing accomplished through the use of crampons with two front-slanting points or spikes which allow traction to be concentrated at the toe of a climber's boots. This allowed the British group to make a light and fast ascent,[http://www.myoutdoors.co.uk/book-lecture-video-reviews/book-reviews/441-one-day-as-a-tiger-alex-macintyre-and-the-birth-of-light-and-fast-alpinism-reviewed "One Day as A Tiger: Alex Macintyre and the Birth of Light and Fast Alpinism – reviewed "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926223208/http://www.myoutdoors.co.uk/book-lecture-video-reviews/book-reviews/441-one-day-as-a-tiger-alex-macintyre-and-the-birth-of-light-and-fast-alpinism-reviewed |date=26 September 2015 }}. MyOutdoors.{{cite book|author=Jeff Lowe|title=Ice World: Techniques and Experiences of Modern Ice Climbing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xd1sTezKzaYC&pg=PA35|date=1 January 1996|publisher=Rocky Mountain Books|isbn=978-0-921102-46-5|pages=35–}} relatively unencumbered by gear and supplies, ascending and descending in a shorter time than traditional climbing methods allowed. During this period, MacIntyre and his climbing partners ascended the Grandes Jorasses giant ice sheet, The Shroud, in a single day,[http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews1.lasso?l=2&keyid=42561 "Tom Ballard climbs Colton – Macintyre on Grandes Jorasses in winter"]. Planet Mountain. 8 October 2015{{cite book|author=American Alpine Club Press|title=2002 American Alpine Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E50bIVG3Q5QC&pg=RA1-PA77|publisher=The Mountaineers Books|isbn=978-1-933056-49-4|pages=1–}} and also accomplished the first non-sieged ascent of the Harlin Direct on the Eiger North Face.

MacIntyre later climbed in the Himalaya where he was a proponent of 'Alpine Style' ethics,{{cite web|url=http://v-publishing.co.uk/books/categories/biographies/one-day-as-a-tiger.html|title=One Day As A Tiger – Alex MacIntyre and the birth of light and fast alpinism}} along with a number of other climbers, including Voytek Kurtyka. He climbed with a number of international groups, whose ascents included attempts on major objectives such as Dhaulagiri, Changabang, Shishapangma{{cite book|author=Simon Thompson|title=Unjustifiable Risk?: The Story of British Climbing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AasdAwAAQBAJ&pg=PR11-IA69|date=6 March 2012|publisher=Cicerone Press|isbn=978-1-84965-699-3|pages=11–}} and Makalu.

In the autumn of 1982, at the age of 28, MacIntyre was killed by a single stone while setting up a new route on Annapurna's South Face with French alpinist René Ghilini.{{cite book|author=Greg Child|title=Thin Air: Encounters in the Himalayas|url=https://archive.org/details/thinairencounter00chil|url-access=registration|year=1998|publisher=The Mountaineers Books|isbn=978-0-89886-588-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/thinairencounter00chil/page/62 62]–}} In light of his contribution to British climbing, particularly advances in the 'light and fast' style of alpinism, the 'Alex MacIntyre Memorial Hut' was set up in the West Highlands where it is managed by the British Mountaineering Council and the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.

A book written by MacIntyre and Doug Scott, entitled The Shishapangma Expedition, was published in 1984, and re-released in 2014.

In 2014, MacIntyre's climbing partner John Porter published a biography of his life.[http://www.climbnovascotia.ca/2014/11/tuesday-talks-john-porter/ "Tuesday Talks: John Porter"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051237/http://www.climbnovascotia.ca/2014/11/tuesday-talks-john-porter/ |date=4 March 2016 }}. Climb Nova Scotia. The book won the grand prize at the annual Banff Mountain Book Festival.[http://www.climbing.com/news/british-alpinists-remarkable-book-wins-banff-award/ "British Alpinist's Remarkable Book Wins Banff Award"]. Climbing, 14 July 2014

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|author1=John Porter|author2=Stephen Venables|title=One Day as a Tiger: Alex MacIntyre and the birth of light and fast alpinism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TS5hBAAAQBAJ|date=1 September 2014|publisher=Vertebrate Graphics Limited|isbn=978-1-910240-09-0}}
• {{cite book|author1=Doug Scott|author2=Alex MacIntyre|title=Shishapangma: The alpine-style first ascent of the South-West Face|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U6usAwAAQBAJ|date=10 April 2014|publisher=Vertebrate Graphics Limited|isbn=978-1-910240-06-9}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacIntyre, Alex}}

Category:1954 births

Category:1982 deaths

Category:Boardman Tasker Prize winners

Category:People from Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire

Category:People educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys

Category:Alumni of the University of Leeds

Category:Sportspeople from Yorkshire

Category:English mountain climbers

Category:English people of Scottish descent

Category:Sport deaths in Nepal

Category:Mountaineering deaths