Dennis was without doubt a leading British alpinist of the 1950's and into the 1960's. My own keenest memories of my own climbs with him were an ascent of Pigott's route in the big winter of 1962/3, when he led the final crack with its severe ice coating, shod in tricouni studded boots in the coldest conditions I have experienced in the UK, and an ascent around the same period of the Western Gully of Black Ladders. It was on such winter climbs, and in the Alps and the Himalaya that Dennis showed his outstanding abilities as a mountaineer.
I am sure others will testify to such, but I hope one of Dennis's most outstanding climbs will also be worthy of mention, namely the winter ascent of the N Face of Mieguszowieki in the Tatra, with the then very young Polish climbers, Kurtyka and Rusieki from Krakov.
Dennis had very good Polish connections, and he married a wonderful lady from that country. Like all his other climbing friends we have lost someone who was special to us all.
I send my deepest condolences to his family.
Dennis Gray
