It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a beloved father, brother, grandfather and friend, Henry Barclay Todd who left us after a very short illness on 3 November 2025, in his favourite place on earth Kathmandu, Nepal.

Henry was larger than life, a metaphor often used, yet it could not be more fitting for him. Standing 6'3 and possessing an unshakeable will, he lived life on a grand scale, both in body and spirit. As an expedition leader, mountaineer and later an oxygen provider to climbers, Henry was a pillar of the Himalayan climbing community. He supported countless people across Nepal and Pakistan, making it possible for many to fulfil the dream of standing on the world's highest peaks. He believed deeply in the strength, skill, and potential of the Sherpa and offered them opportunities that might otherwise have remained out of reach. 'Thank you, Henry. Your trust changed my life. Rest in peace, my leader, my teacher, my friend' said Dorjee Gyelzen Sherpa in his tribute to Henry.

Born on 3 March 1945 to Henry Todd, a Royal Air Force officer, and May Todd of the Women's Royal Air Force, Henry spent his early years in Singapore. He led a lively childhood with his two brothers, far removed from the mountains that would later define his path. A gifted swimmer like his father, Henry never pursued the sport professionally. Instead, after returning to Dundee as a teenager and attending seven different schools, he set off for London, where he began working for an insurance company before finding his true calling in adventure.

Henry first came to Nepal in the mid-1980s and made his first attempt on Ama Dablam in 1987, an expedition that marked the beginning of an extraordinary and colourful climbing career. The Himalayan Database lists 61 expeditions in Nepal alone, however, this number excludes his ventures into Pakistan, Argentina and the European Alps. But Henry would joyfully say that a few hard Scottish ascents held a more personal meaning to him than even the greatest Himalayan summits.

Over the decades, Henry crossed paths with many legendary climbers like Anatoli Boukreev, Jerzy Kukuczka, Doug Scott and Chris Bonington as well as celebrities including members of Pink Floyd and Nobel Prize laureates he befriended. He had a gift to never name-drop but would simply mention that he had had lunch with Minnie Driver (niece of his long-time friend Andra) or that he had bought his first car from Donald Sutherland. For Henry, these were not bragging rights, they were simply part of the colourful tapestry of his life.

Henry's life was filled with extraordinary experiences from surviving plane crashes, avalanches and earthquakes to quietly solving countless problems, which was one of his favourite past-times. His hands, famously large and steady, were always ready to help whether in the chaos of the mountains or the calm of a base camp. With his sharp sense of humour and his beloved exclamation 'Whoopie!', he could bring lightness even to the toughest moments. He never tired of taking on challenges or helping when someone was in need, and he enriched so many people's lives with his endless stories.

His legacy is immense. He helped build the human backbone of Himalayan climbing, enabling generations of climbers to test themselves in the world's highest places. With his passing, an era of bold, spirited Himalayan guiding has come to a close.

Henry is survived by a loving family, many close friends and a global community of climbers and Sherpas who will never forget him and his endless tales. His strength, warmth and unyielding belief in others will live on far above the clouds.

He was indestructible in our eyes and in our hearts, he always will be.

There will be a memorial service at Pashupati Temple in Kathmandu on 8 November 2025 around lunchtime.