Commercial Sponsorship in Mountaineering: A Case Study of the 1975 British Everest Expedition

Abstract

In the 1960s and 1970s a new generation of British mountaineers embraced commercial opportunities in a major departure from the sport's amateur roots. For a time, expeditions in the greater ranges became popular among the British public, receiving coverage in the mainstream media and prime-time television. This demand created new commercial interest in the sport as businesses realized the potential value of association with expeditions. Climbers became widely known and began to endorse products and fund their activities through sponsorship. The new ‘career climbers’ changed the sport's focus and profile and Britain's role in mountaineering on the world stage. However, this created tensions within parts of the climbing community who clung on to the sport's amateur roots. This paper analyses these significant changes in British mountaineering through a case study of the 1975 Everest south-west face expedition. This climb, led by Chris Bonington, was generously backed by a high-street bank and the sponsors pursued a variety of commercial lines to maximize their return and portray their desired image. This paper examines what these new commercial opportunities were, how they came about and how successful they were in generating publicity and income. The paper also discusses the reaction that this extraordinary expedition prompted among the often critical climbing community.