Hamish died last year, he was working on a book that will be published soon. ‘The Fox of Glencoe chronicles the adventures and achievements of the legendary Hamish MacInnes.’

He wrote numerous books, the ones I used most were his climbing guides ‘Scottish Climbs’.

We used these in the 70s along with the SMC guides. SMC guides had a few line drawings but Scottish Climbs had photo diagrams and action photos.

The diagram for Labyrinth on Arran was spot on and has not been as good in any of the subsequent guidebooks. The Clasp in Ardgour was correctly shown but has been wrong in every guide since (in my opinion).

People still complain about the grading system Hamish used but I don’t understand the problem. On our first trip to the Alps it was easy to pick routes at our grade because we had used Scottish Climbs. We all use french grades now, maybe he was just ahead of his time?

I asked him about the grades in his guidebooks a few years ago and he said the grading system had been agreed with the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), but he was the only one in Britain that then went on to use it.

The highest grade the SMC used was VS. Dividing VS into V, V+, -VI, VI and VI+ made a huge difference to me pushing my grade, and I suspect many other climbers.

The only time I have called out mountain rescue was in Glencoe, Hamish was the team leader.

http://www.colinmoody.com/Site_2/Blog/Entries/2010/6/12_Diction%2C_Glencoe%2C_Sandy_Telfer.html

I went to visit Sandy in hospital a couple of times the following week and gave him Hamish’s book Call-out, he was delighted to get it.

Hamish worked on numerous films, his friend Joe Brown also died last year. We met Joe a couple of times in Torridon in the 80s, he had been in South America working on a Robert De Niro film The Mission where he was a stunt double for a climbing scene. He said they ate a lot of meat there. Joe was worried that an Argentinian might resent working with them, but he had been happy to be captured by the British who fed him well, life must have been hell as a conscript.

Hamish also had a few stories from working on The Mission. He had to film the waterfall and the only place to do that was on on a rock pinnacle with a small top. Hamish said the helicopter hovered with one skid on the pinnacle while he placed a bolt to secure himself and the camera.

I had told Hamish that I had found the sword from The Highlander on Skye. One day he mentioned that the film had a cult following so the sword would be of significance, I replied nobody would believe I had the sword but he said he would vouch for it. A couple of years ago I got round to filming him with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DAEBMWvAYc

He knows The Cuillin of Skye well, having done more new routes there than anyone else.

Hamish showed us his copy of a film of him and Chris Bonington talking about their winter routes on the Buachaille. It was a very professional production that had been filmed by National Geographic, he said it wasn't available for the general public to watch.

He designed various stretchers and items of climbing equipment. Photo above with his original ice axe, Todd Swain from California with later models.

There was a suggestion that the house in Glencoe where Hamish lived and worked for years could become a museum. Unfortunately a famous sex offending charity fundraiser owned the house for a few years and it has been subjected to mindless vandalism. The roof has been wrecked with a rock and I suspect the house will eventually be demolished.