Sir Chris Bonington, current OWPG
president, commented: “I’ve known
Walt for over fi fty years. Always kind
and thoughtful, he has achieved and
contributed so much to our knowledge
and understanding of the climbing scene
and life, as a magazine editor, as a writer
particularly with his defi nitive history of
Everest, and as a publisher. We owe him
a huge amount for what he has done
for our sport and will miss him as a wise
and very good friend.”
Tom Waghorn, outdoor journalist and a friend for
over forty years, said: “He had a tremendous ability to
discover talent, and as a canny businessman, he knew
how to spot a gap in the market.”
Kev Reynolds, who has written wrote more than
twentyguides for Cicerone, said: “Walt was both my
mentor and my friend. When I did my fi rst book for him
– Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees in 1978 – I had no
idea that I would be able to make a living at it, but Walt
encouraged me at every step.”
John Manning, former colleague on
The Great Outdoors and now editor
of Lakeland Walker, said: “Walt was a
towering fi gure in the outdoor writing
world. When I worked at The Great
Outdoors between 1994 and 2007,
we referred to him as ‘Uncle Walt’ and
regarded him as its founder.”
Walt in the Alps
“Father of outdoor writing”
Walt’s National Service days
Paddy Dillon, who has
written seventy books
for Cicerone, recalled:
“Whenever I delivered a
manuscript, Walt always used
to say: ‘Never give a sucker
an even break. That’s my
motto.’ I’ve no complaints if
he was directing that at me.
He gave me his time and
encouragement, while I was
content to absorb whatever
morsels of wisdom I could.”
Roger Smith, former editor of The Great Outdoors, said:
“Under a sometimes apparently gruff exterior Walt – who
was also no mean climber himself – was a kindly man
always willing to give advice to others.”
4 Outdoor focus | autumn 2017
Walt in China, 1995
“A mentor and a friend”
Mark Richards, another of Walt’s
protégées, said: “He was my guiding
light – the man who gave me a start
and encouraged my creativity. I’ll
always be grateful to him.”
Mark Richards’ pen portrait of Walt