Mountaineering
Rouse was an outstanding technical rock climber, one of the best of his generation. His ascents of 'The Beatnik' on Helsby, and his solo ascent of 'The Boldest' on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu marked him out as an exceptional talent. He was a member of a group of contemporaries (including Cliff Phillips, Eric Jones, Pete Minks, 'Richard' McHardy) whose competitive spirit pushed them to solo the hardest routes of the day.
His soloing was not confined to Wales, nor was it always successful. An attempt on the American Route on South Face of the Aiguille de Fou failed when a small piton being used for aid pulled near the summit. Although he fell only 5 meters, Rouse broke his ankle and was forced to make 17 abseils down the entire route, for much of the time using only his knees.
Rouse eventually became a professional mountaineer, lecturing, guiding, writing and acting as an adviser to the outdoor equipment trade. He moved to Sheffield in easy reach of the rocks of the Peak District. Rouse became a highly experienced climber in places as far afield as Scotland, North Wales, Patagonia, Peru, the Alps, the Andes, New Zealand and Nepal. He was also elected vice-president of the British Mountaineering Council.
In 1980, Rouse, Dr Michael Ward and Chris Bonington were among the few Europeans to visit the high mountains of China, reopening some of these to foreign mountaineers. In the winter of 1980–81, Rouse led a British expedition to attempt Mount Everest by the west ridge, without using oxygen or Sherpas. The trip was not successful, but in the summer of 1981 he climbed Kongur Tagh, a hitherto unclimbed peak in western China, with Bonington, Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman.
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