Although Smith was to climb with a variety of talented and notable partners there are two individuals with whom he was to be most productive. His partnership with Dougal Haston is probably the most well known, resulting in routes such as Gob on Carnmore in Wester Ross in April 1960 and Turnspit on Aonach Dubh in 1961. His account published in the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal entitled The Bat and the Wicked described their bruising ascent of The Bat on the Carn Dearg Buttress of Ben Nevis; this piece has entered climbing folklore. Indeed, legend has that whilst discussing this buttress with the older and fiercely short-tempered Manchester climber Don Whillans. Smith was to remark that while Whillans had forged the groundbreaking routes of Centurion and Sassenach on Carn Dearg, Smith and Haston had simply climbed the difficult bit in between. The most recent Ben Nevis climbing guide refers to Smith's article, claiming that the climb was named after the great swooping falls taken on the first ascent, much of which was reputedly climbed at night.