My brother, David Hollinger, who has died aged 50 from complications following a stroke, was a mountaineering guide and instructor; he embodied resilience and determination.
In the years following university he climbed the Shroud on the Grandes Jorasses, the north face of the Eiger, the north face of the Matterhorn, and hard winter ascents in the Scottish Highlands such as Unicorn in Glencoe and Cornucopia on Ben Nevis. He travelled farther afield to make a second ascent of the west face of Ama Dablam, in the Nepalese Himalayas, and first ascents in China’s Sichuan province, before settling in Sheffield in the UK and co-founding a business, Peak Mountain Training, with two fellow guides in 2011.
Born in Belfast to Yvonne (nee Starret) and Wilbert Hollinger, both schoolteachers, Dave grew up in Ballyclare, County Antrim, where he attended Fairview primary school. At Ballyclare high school he was head boy.
His love of the outdoors was apparent from a young age. While at school he played rugby, competed in cross-country, athletics and orienteering, and was a member of the local scout group. He then gained a place at Jesus College, Cambridge, to study geography.
While at university he was president of the Cambridge University Mountaineering Club, and mixing with like-minded people fuelled his love of climbing. Following graduation in 1997, Dave spent time at Scotland’s national outdoor centre, Glenmore Lodge, and Plas Y Brenin, the national outdoor centre in Wales, developing his skills to take on adventures in the UK and across the world, while working in retail to fund his training.
After much travelling and climbing, Dave settled in Sheffield in 2005. It was there that he met Hannah Nixon, a nurse educator; they married in 2008 and had two children, Finley and Toby.
Dave’s desire to spend more time with his family coincided with an opportunity to take up the position as a full-time instructor at Glenmore Lodge, so the family relocated to Aviemore in 2017. Tragically, in March the following year, Dave suffered a brain stem stroke as a result of a fall while skiing. Afterwards he was very much himself and fully cognitively aware, but unable to move or speak.
Dave was initially treated in Inverness, before moving to the Royal Hallamshire in Sheffield, then Steps Rehabilitation and latterly Willowbeck care home. Through relentless effort, he developed the ability to use his right hand to control a powered wheelchair, and to communicate with the world using a computer screen equipped with eye-tracking technology.
With minimal physical abilities, Dave put his mind to good use and worked with both Sheffield universities to shape the education of future nurses and social workers so they can be better prepared to support people living with complex care needs. Dave also sat on the service user council of Willowbeck care home in Sheffield.
He is survived by Hannah, Finley and Toby, by our parents and me.
