What drives a person to scale the most dangerous routes up the world’s highest mountains? Find out with Doug Scott, one of the most famous mountaineers of all, with over 40 ascents of major peaks in the Himalayas and around the world.

The Salt Spring Forum hosts a very special evening with Doug Scott on Tuesday, October 23rd at 7:00 PM at ArtSpring, which will begin with a slideshow about his first ascent of the Southwest Face of Mt. Everest.

In addition to pioneering the Southwest Face, Doug Scott and his climbing partner Dougal Haston were the first British climbers to reach Mt. Everest’s summit. They were also the first mountaineers to survive a bivouac above 28,000 feet without oxygen.

After a short intermission, the evening will transition to a Forum-style Q&A discussion about mountaineering as well as Scott’s incredible humanitarian work in Nepal following the devastating 2015 earthquakes through his non-profit organization Community Action Nepal (CANEPAL).

This month, CANEPAL — a charity and NGO/INGO which has been operating in Nepal for over 20 years — became the sixth winner of the annual International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation's Mountain Protection Award.

Scott has been recognized with many honours, including Commander of the British Empire. His new book The Ogre, has just been shortlisted for the 2018 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature. Scott’s dramatic, humorous and inspirational talks are revered around the world.

Please note, this event begins at 7:00 pm. Tickets: $25 - General Public and $20 - 2018 Forum Members at ArtSpring (250-537-2102 or online), Salt Spring Books or at the door while quantities last.

Desserts and books will be on sale at the event. Please bring cash or cheques. All proceeds from this event will be donated to Community Action Nepal.