Gurdial Singh joined
The Doon School in 1945 and it was here that he was influenced by Englishmen such as
John Martyn,
R.L. Holdsworth and
Jack Gibson to take up mountaineering. The first headmaster of Doon
Arthur Foot was a member of the Alpine Club. Together, they scaled many peaks including
Bandarpunch,
Trisul,
Kamet,
Abi Gamin and
Nanda Devi. He was the first Indian member of the famed
Alpine Club, which was "a club of English gentlemen devoted to mountaineering". Singh remained unmarried throughout his life, and often said that he was "married to the mountains". He died following complications due to a hip fracture and
chikungunya at his home in Chandigarh, on 30 May 2023. Singh was 99. ==Awards==