James Horst Brunnerman Bell (Dr J. H. B. Bell) (1896–1975) was arguably the leading Scots

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

in the period prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, going on to edit the SMC Journal for an unequalled 24 years from 1936 to 1959. He put up many serious routes on

Ben Nevis Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland ...

and in many other areas of Scotland. One of his

first ascents In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route A climbing route is a path by which a climber rea ...

was "Long Climb" (Bell & J. D. B. Wilson, June 1940), a 1400-ft Severe on the Orion Face of Ben Nevis - it is reputedly the longest in the UK and a chapter by

Malcolm Slesser Malcolm Slesser (30 October 1926 – 26 June 2007) was a Scottish energy analyst, scientist and mountaineer. Biography Slesser was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh. He began mountain climbing when he was young. In the 1950s Slesser joi ...

is devoted to it in the compendium of classic UK rock climbs ''"Classic Rock"''. The aphorism ''"Any fool can climb good rock, but it takes craft and cunning to get up vegetatious schist or granite"'' has been attributed to him by several authors including

W. H. Murray William Hutchison Murray (18 March 1913 – 19 March 1996) was a Scottish mountaineer and writer, one of a group of active mountain climbers, mainly from Clydeside, before and just after World War II. Life Murray was born in Liverpool, the so ...

and

Hamish Brown Hamish Brown Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. Royal Scottish Geographical Society, FRSGS is a professional writer, lecturer and photographer specialising in mountain and outdoor topics. He is best known for his walking exploits in the Scottish ...

(in his introduction to Bell's ''"Scottish Climbs"''). He tutored, among others, the younger

and inspired many others. The words which he wrote in ''"Progress in Mountaineering"'': ''"the head of the Fionn Loch would be a veritable paradise for the enthusiastic rock-climber, for I do not know any other corner in the Scottish Highlands with so much opportunity for exploration in grand and imposing surroundings. It was the grandeur and beauty of the scene which held me spellbound"'', led indirectly to the development of climbing on Carnmore crag in the Fisherfield Forest by inspiring a young Mike O'Hara to visit and establish a string of

there. Bell trained as an industrial chemist (DSc, Edinburgh, 1932), and so (according to Murray) regarded food only as "fuel", mixing many courses together when preparing for a day on the hill. Bell was always keen to train others, and did several of his new routes with women climbers, including his wife Pat. He published ''"A Progress in Mountaineering"'' in 1950 which was partially reissued as ''"Bell's Scottish Climbs"'' in 1988, both are still well regarded. Bell also revised the guidebook for the Island of

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...

(originally produced by Steeple, Barlow & MacRobert in 1931) in 1954 and contributed the Scottish section for the book ''"British Hills & Mountains"''

References

Scottish mountain climbers 1896 births 1975 deaths Scottish chemists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish educators Scottish non-fiction writers 20th-century Scottish educators 20th-century Scottish writers {{Scotland-sport-bio-stub