Mountaineer and oil industry executive;
Born February 2 1929; Died August 26, 2011
George Band, who has died aged 82, was a mountaineer and one of the last surviving climbers to have taken part in the 1953 British Everest expedition which put Hillary and Tenzing on the summit.
But despite having played an integral part in the conquest of the world’s highest peak, Mr Band’s greatest achievement as a climber was the first ascent of the mighty Kanchenjunga two years later.
He also went on to become a leading figure in the North Sea oil industry when, in 1984, he became director-general of the UK Offshore Operators’ Association, which represents the oil and gas companies operating on the UK continental shelf.
He was born in Taiwan and educated at Eltham College, south London, did his National Service with the Royal Corps of Signals and read geology at Cambridge, followed by petroleum engineering at Imperial College, London.
In 1953 Mr Band was president of Cambridge University Mountaineering Club when he was chosen by Colonel John Hunt for the Everest expedition. At 23 he was the youngest in the 12-strong team. Not only did he take charge of the expedition’s food and radio requirements, he also pioneered crucial routes through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall and up the Lhotse Face. He was at advanced camp to greet Hillary and Tenzing afer their historic climb.
In 1955 Mr Band joined an expedition to Kanchenjunga, a 28,169ft Himalayan peak which is the third highest in the world and with the legendary rock climber Joe Brown he made the first ascent. Expeditions to the Alps, the Caucasus, Peru and the Karakoram followed.
In 1957 he joined Shell and as an engineer worked all over the world. In 1983 he left Shell, and from 1984 to 1990 headed the UK Offshore Operators’ Association. He was also vice-chairman of Premier Oil.
After he retired Mr Band was a president of the Alpine Club and of the British Mountaineering Council; chairman of the Mount Everest Foundation and the Himalayan Trust; and he sat on the council of the Royal Geographical Society.
In 1959 he married Susan Goodenough, who survives him with their two sons and one daughter. He was appointed OBE in 2009.
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