Meet: David Thompson, the deaf climber who has conquered the Scottish mountains

With over 280 on the list, climbing every single Munro in the Scottish highlands is, quite literally, a mountainous task. Liam O’Dell speaks to David Thompson, a hard of hearing mountain climber from Edinburgh, who has reached the top of every single one in a challenge spanning over 37 years.

To the unaware like myself, the word Munro may well sound like the name of a formidable and eccentric detective, but the reality is a lot more fascinating.

A series of mountains in Scotland with a height of 3,000 feet or over – of which the highest is Ben Nevis – the full catalogue has 282 summits to conquer. For climbers and completionists, Hugh Munro’s list presents a challenge, one which David Thompson has completed.

“I would say it was a personal reason,” David explains, when asked why he decided to climb them all. “To do all of the Munros is a big long goal to complete, taking me to number of areas I haven’t been to.”

For David, a passion for mountain climbing started young, climbing a number of hills and mountains when he was a child. Before starting his family of three, David climbed Munros with his wife, Audrey. Reflecting on his first backpacking adventure, he talks about a group of people – himself included – meeting in Glen Etive.

“I chose to cross the river at a narrow point where there was a shortcut up to Allt Mheoran,” he explains, that being a river in the West Highlands of Scotland. “I managed to get across and help the others over the fast-flowing river. When it was Audrey’s turn, I held out my hand, but she slipped and fell into the river which carried her downstream.

“I quickly took off my heavy rucksack then ran after her along the bank,” David continues. “She appeared to be sitting on the water, which carried her 30 feet or more before she tumbled about 10 feet over a waterfall into a deep pool. She managed to struggle to a bank and grabbed a walking pole that was held out to her.”

At the end of the ordeal, Audrey was left uninjured, but shaken. “She got out her wet clothes and put on spare ones which, by some miracle, were dry,” says David. “Thanks to her rucksack being well-packed to protect it against the wet weather.”

Later on in his climbing journey, David faced a different challenge: “When I was young my fitness was very good, when I went out backpacking for two or three days with a 65 litre rucksack. One day I went for 14 hours climbing lots of mountains! Now I am 57 it is tough to keep up.”

“It’s crazy,” he continues, “a number of my last remaining Munros were harder as they were so far from the roads. Three 11-hour-round trips and 14 hours to climb four Munros in a remote area, I keep saying, ‘why did I not do the hard one when I was young?'”.

David goes on: “Weather can also add to the challenge. If I’m in whitewash mist, it’s down to a map and compass –  that’s what I love about being out in the wilderness.”

David joins over 6,600 others on a list of ‘compleationists’ on the Scottish Mountaineering Council’s website, and after finishing his first round of Munros, the climber – who also works as a guide and communicator for Deafblind Scotland – is onto his next goal.

“There always a number of challenges I want to do next,” he says. “I know it will take time to finish the remaining Munro Tops, of which there are 227, and I’ve got 14 left to do. There are other Corbett and Graham mountains to do, as well as a number of walk or bike ways.”

More information about the Munros can be found on the Visit Scotland website.

Photos courtesy of David Thompson.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and blogger from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.