THA T ’S ME
I started soloing after my climbing partner found a girlfriend. I found that I really got in to it. The freedom and mental side really appealed. Early on I’d fi nd myself on a hard move, start to panic and then have to give myself a talking to, to calm down. The more I did this, the better I got. Soon I was able to solo harder and harder routes.
There’s no feeling like soloing close to your limit. When you’re on form and in control, there’s nothing like it. I got to the point where I could solo as hard as I could lead.
Tremadog’s climbing highpoint was the battle for Strawberries. It was a time of big characters. Ron Fawcett would come along on his motorbike in his wellingtons and have a try, then John Redhead would race up and his girlfriend would set up a huge stereo down by the road. Great days.
I’ve climbed the North face of the Eiger twice. The fi rst time was in 1970. Leo Dickinson was training himself to become a fi lmmaker and wanted to make a documentary about it. So, myself, Leo, Cliff Philips and Pete Minks set off on the Eiger. It was still a big route to do in 1970. We took six days, and we had to carry huge loads because of all the camera equipment, leading with 50-pound rucksacs on our backs. Ten years later, I went back and became the fi rst British climber to solo it. I got a lot of media attention then but always look back on my fi rst time as the greater achievement.
The best training for BASE jumping is skydiving out of balloons. It’s different to planes: you’re setting off into still air. You fall uncontrollably for three seconds before you’re going fast enough to have air pressure.
My fi rst-ever BASE jump was off the Eiger. It was a fi rst in two ways since the Eiger had never been jumped back then. Eleven years later, I read an article in Skydiving magazine by two Swiss guys writing about how they were the fi rst to jump the Eiger. A quick letter was written and honour was restored in the next issue!
Eric Jones on his Suzuki 1200 Bandit outside Eric’s Café, Tremadog.
Ballooning over Everest was the most intense hour and forty minutes of my life. Leo Dickinson and myself, along with two others, set off from Gokyo Lake at 16,000 feet, in two balloons. Leo and Chris Dewhurst were in one, myself and Andy Elson in the other. We were the B-team with a smaller basket, so I tied a blue barrel to the side and stood in that. It was a real journey into the unknown.
We nearly crashed into the South West Face of Everest. At 20,000 feet we hit the Jetstream and started travelling at 60 mph. We could see the mountains all around us and, with fi ve huge burners roaring just above us, it was quite warm. I remember a moment of silence, at around 29,000 feet, and thought to myself, “We must be making good height, Andy’s turned the burners off.” But, no, an oxygen hose had iced up, meaning the propane wouldn’t ignite. We were in trouble. After some time squeezing the hose, Andy got the oxygen fl owing again, and I had to climb out of my barrel and stand with a fl int striker, frantically clicking away, until we got the fl ame going. We cleared the summit of Everest by 1,500 feet. It was a bumpy ride.
I always thought I’d struggle with getting older. But I’ve coped. Sure, the opportunities diminish – I look at wingsuit
fl ying and really fancy it – but I have to be realistic. And more than that, I feel privileged to have done all the things I have done to the standard that I have, and for all the things I continue to do.
I have become more laid back. My relationship with climbing has changed. In the old days, when the fi re was burning, I’d get really frustrated if I had to turn back from a climb. Nowadays, if we fail, we go for a beer. To be truthful, I enjoy it more.
I had my fi rst track-day on a bike last year. It was great to really let rip, but going down the straights at 140 miles per hour, I still got overtaken by faster sports bikes. I really wanted a go on one, but I can’t ride one comfortably – I can’t bend my plastic- titanium knee replacement enough.
I've still got lots of plans if I'm lucky enough to stay fi t and healthy. I'm going skiing in a couple of weeks. Then off to Wyoming in the spring to ride my motorbike through the Rockies, climb Devil’s Tower and do some BASE jumping.
Want a brew? Photo: Alex Messenger. Words: Niall Grimes.
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shop@thebmc.co.uk 10 | 70TH ANNIVERSARY | FOR BRITISH CLIMBING AND WALKING SINCE 1944
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