Allen Fyffe has been awarded an MBE for services to mountaineering. Allen is the current Secretary of the Scottish Mountain Leader Training Board and is probably best known for his guidebooks and the definitive 'Handook of Climbing'.
He worked at Glenmore Lodge during its climbing heyday and amongst his many new routes in Scotland are classics like Astronomy on Ben Nevis. He has climbed throughout the world including first British ascents in the Alps, the first British Ascent of Pik Pobeda in the Tien Shan and the first ascent of the classic Scottish Pillar on Bagirathi III (described by Steve Venables as the greatest rock route in the Himalayas).
Allen's dry wit is well known to his friends and to the many leaders, instructors and guides that he has worked with. When heading for Pembroke for a few days climbing Allen was once asked whether he'd climbed on Limestone before, he replied 'only twice and I didn't like it'. The two ocassions were the '38 route on the North Face of the Eiger and as part of Bonington's succesful 1975 SW Face of Everest expedition.
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