Walter Parry Haskett Smith

Walter Parry Haskett Smith (28 August 1859 – 11 March 1946) was an English barrister-at-law, athlete, traveller and pioneer rock climber.

Born in Bognor Regis, England, he was the second son of the landowner Haskett Smith (1813–1895) of Goudhurst and his wife Anne nee Davies; the cricketer Algernon Haskett-Smith was his elder brother.

His most famous climb was his 1886 first ascent of the Napes Needle, which he accomplished, by himself, without any sort of protective devices - eschewing the use of ropes, spikes, and ladders as aids required by inferior climbers.

His climbing style was muscular and gymnastic, similar to that of Owen Glynne Jones, Haskett Smith's successor - after 1895 - as leading British rock climber.

A lifelong devotee of etymologies, and possessing a gift for describing past acquaintances, Haskett Smith delighted in producing rambling and witty pieces about his athletic avocation.