I just watched this incredible film on Catch up “The Last Climb” it was superb and a great insight into an incredible man and his life.
I was very lucky to meet Eric a lot on North Wales at his cafe at Tremadoc near the cliffs we loved climbing on when I was at RAF Valley in North Wales. Eric was already the local hero made famous for soling many of the great routes in Wales. I also attended a First Aid Course with him we had a laugh. He said he did it as a few climbers had fallen off his local cliff Tremadoc and he had looked after them. I am sure we have him an old stretcher as his wife was getting upset with climbers bleeding on her sofa.
He is most well known for the first British solo ascent of the north face of the Eiger in 1981, and for his climbs on the Matterhorn and South Col on Mount Everest.[1] In 1969, Jones ascended the Bonatti Pillar on the Dru solo,[2] and in 1971, he was the first person to climb the Central Pillar of Brouillard on the south ridge of Mont Blanc. In 1986, he became the first person to BASE jump from the Eiger.
It was a powerful film and shows that Eric is at over 80 still an incredible man. This film gives a small insight to the man. It has an incredibly moving end and I loved it. Stay well Eric and thanks for a great film and an insight into a true adventurer.
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An early encounter with Eric. Climbing in “The Pass” one evening during the Summer Course early ’70,s Belaying on the first stance of Brant feeling pleased with myself after leading the first steep pitch without due drama I notice a guy at the bottom watching us, second duly arrives draped in the many slings nuts etc when out of nowhere a person appears by the side of us having taken the more direct(and harder) Brant Direct. Our new addition to the ledge was wearing clothes more suited to the High Street, he apologised for crowding us and said he would not get in our way on the second pitch so takes off up “Slape” again a harder and steeper alternative. He looked so utterly in control that us 2 mere mortals continued in a more subdued vain for the rest of the route. Before I left the belay to second the pitch he was back at the bottom where I had first seen him, it was only later that we learned that it was Eric.
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Thanks Ian
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