Martin Moran

The death of Martin Moran in an avalanche alongwith 7 others is one of the most tragic events to have occurred in the Indian Himalaya. He loved the Himalayan range in Uttarakhand so much that he returned to them every year. He was an excellent Mountain Guide (BMG/IFMGA), the highest level of professional mountaineering qualification in the world, known for its rigorous training. Yet, an avalanche took their lives.

In an effort to acclimatise before the bid on Nanda Devi East, the group, led by expert Martin Moran, set out to scale an unclimbed 6477m (21,250-ft). Thomas, Deputy Leader, and three others on the expedition, survived because they did not attempt that climb. They were tasked with going up the route to Nanda Devi East to ensure it was safe for the team.

Few year ago, I had the opportunity of hosting him and making a video recording of Martin for my Oral History collection. (Quotes in this article are from this recording). Now listening to it one wonders how such a qualified and careful person could land in trouble. That is the Himalaya for you.

Born in Scotland in 1955, “he was lost to mountains at an early age. Passion fired up”.2 Parents knew nothing about hills and climbing but seeds of wonder were growing in him by beautiful landscape of Scotland. As a young boy, he would request all to gift him guidebooks of this area for his birthdays and Ordinance Maps as Christmas gifts! He was introduced to rock climbing at age of 16 and went walking in the hills with Scouts. “Trekking is most important for a person- it teaches you survival, how to handle weather and emergencies”.

He studied Geography at Cambridge and after graduation was looking for a job near the hills. He found a job as a Chartered Account at Sheffield which had hills nearby. He spent seven years, climbing and trekking in the Peak District, many times going solo. He made trips to the Alps climbing most classic routes with various companions. Finally, he went for the North Face of Eiger, the prime challenge for any rock climber. “Eiger decided that I will not remain an accountant but will become a professional guide”. So, he joined the mountain guiding course of the British Association of Mountain Guides- a three-year course covering all aspects of climbing and looking after clients. He passed to be a guide in 1985, at the age of 30. He remained an active and full member of this elite organisation for 34 years. Soon he gave up his job and started a climbing company and moved to Lochcarron in the North-West Highlands, Scotland. To start with, his wife Joy joined him, and theyclimbed 280 Scottish peaks. Climbing Munros one winter, drew much attention to him, especially since it was the first-time a husband-wife team had done it.

He had met Joy at an equipment shop and both climbed at high standard. Both of them loved Scotland and so moved their company there. The company flourished and he had many clients. “But we purposely kept the company small. In a large climbing company, you become a manager, do not remain a climber. We did not believe in growth but a personal touch.”

He made his first expedition to the Himalaya in 1983, taking an unpaid leave from his job as accountant. They climbed the west face of Bhagirathi I, a new route, but on the decent one member died in a fall. The only loss of friend he suffered in mountains – till it was his turn. He returned to the same area, the Gangotri glacier, in 1985 and climbed Kedar Dome by East Pillar route. These two trips made him realise that there are vast possibilities for guided expeditions in the Indian Himalaya. Nepal was flushed with such ventures, but India had none. With some clients he again returned to the same valley and made a technical ascent of Bhrigu Pathar in 1991. He would teach his clients how to climb in Scotland and once at the base camp of a peak, lessons were repeated. “I was learning to turn back. Not even 5% risk to be taken when with clients, is my philosophy.” He employed young qualified guides to accompany, and the “whole agency flowered and flourished.” He specialised in going to new areas, and peaks that were different than routine.

Nanda Devi peak and the area became his favourite ground. He attempted East peak by a new direct route but gave up just 150 m before the summit- safety was his concern. He climbed Panwali Dwar and Nanda Kot soon thereafter, in both cases walking to the real summits to put at rest some unsavoury controversies about its ascents a few years ago. “Pioneering new routes and peaks was my niche. But exploration is best when a peak is also climbed”.
Over his yearly trips, several climbs and explorations followed: Cheepaydang, Changuch, Chiring We, Nanda Ghunti and peaks in Adi Kailash range, in eastern Kumaun, were all pioneering climbs. He then quickly returned in the year 2000 to make the first ascent of West Ridge of Nilkanth and climbed Satling Spires. But the major achievement was to complete the Shipton-Tilman route, traversing the trail from Badrinath to Kedarnath. They landed in great trouble, were lost and barely managed to survive. Martin followed this route with some variation. He called it “Shipton’s Lost Valley” and completed the unfinished route.

One exploration and climb I will personally remember is in the Vishnu Ghar Dhar. A completely unknown range seen above Bansi Narayan. Peaks were not above 19,000 ft (6000 m) but challenging. When I was in this area, I happened to see this range, and Moran had gone few days ahead of us, and later exchanged notes. He returned to the same range a couple of years later and climbed one of the high peaks of the range, “Vishnu Fortress”. His 22 articles in the Himalayan Journal covers most of the above expeditions. His book Higher Ground gives details of his life and climbs.

Then the call of completing the ascent of Nanda Devi East came, with tragic results. One of the best mountaineer with a great safety record was climbing it with his clients. While attempting the nearby 6477 m unnamed peak to acclimatise they perished. Exact cause and details are not known as there were no survivors. Was it a freak accident or a denial of proper equipment like satellite phones, that could have helped them to be rescued? In his brilliant article had written:

Upon his death the Association of British Guides said “Our memories of Martin will linger long and we will always remember him as the consummate professional, a companion with whom great mountain days were shared and a true friend and colleague.”

When Roger Payne, a qualified Mountain Guide, died in similar circumstances a few years ago in the Alps, Martin was upset. “It could have happened to anyone of us as a guide”. Now it has happened to him. Martin is survived by his wife Joy and two grown up children, Alex and Hazel.

Martin Moran trained hundreds of persons, led many climbers to savour the beauty of the Himalaya in safety and opened many valleys for future climbers to enjoy. Perhaps he had other promised lands to go to:

1 From Higher Ground. A mountain guide’s life, by Martin Moran, p. 2
2 All quotes in the text from interview with Martin Moran, (2016). Oral History Archives by Harish Kapadia.
3 Ibid. Moran book.