Eric Jones (climber)

Eric Jones (born 1935) is a Welsh solo climber, skydiver and BASE jumper.

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 Everest. In 1969, Eric Jones ascended the Bonatti Pillar on the Dru solo, 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.

Raised on a farm near Ruthin in north Wales, he attended Ysgol Brynhyfryd and as a boy was interested in parachuting and skydiving, and later wanted to sign up with the Parachute Regiment. However, an earlier injury - a result of a motorbike accident - led to his joining the Military Police whilst on his two-year National Service.

Jones took up skydiving in 1961 and a year later, at the age of 26, began climbing. He climbed extensively in Snowdonia and the Lake District, followed by climbs in Italy. He took up solo climbing when his climbing partner became less available, and found that it gave him the freedom to move quicker, though also brought greater risks.

Many of his exploits, such as the Eiger ascent and the Matterhorn ascent, have been filmed by award winning cameraman Leo Dickinson. Jones and Dickinson, with 2 other climbers, made the first complete film of the Eiger climb in 1970, with Jones' first British solo ascent following in 1981, resulting in the acclaimed film "Eiger Solo".

Dickinson (who in 1991 became the first to fly in a balloon over Everest, taking what has been described as "The best picture on Earth", and wrote a book called "Filming the Impossible") also worked with Jones when he filmed "Ice Climbing with Eric Jones in Switzerland".

As a skydiver Jones jumped onto the North Pole and down the east face of Cerro Torre in Patagonia. In 1991, as a member of a four-man team, he flew two hot air balloons over Mt Everest, an exploit which gained three entries in the Guinness Book of Records. Jones had made an earlier (1978) attempt on Everest as part of a team that included Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler, but had to turn back because of frostbite.

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Wikipedia