Eric Jones 3 Lle

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-Often, when I travel

-to Liverpool or Manchester...

-..I call by this area.

-I always visit my parents' grave.

-It's such a beautiful area,

-despite having no high mountains.

-I enjoy coming back.

-I was born and raised

-in Brynsaithmarchog...

-..on a farm called Yr Hen Gapel.

-It was a relatively small farm.

-My father was given the tenancy

-by the council...

-..when he left the army

-after World War I.

-I had a very happy childhood,

-but it was also hard.

-I was the only boy in the family.

-I had to work hard

-to help my father on the farm.

-We were always busy.

-It wasn't a big farm,

-so we couldn't employ a farmhand.

-I remember

-when the cows were calving.

-We had to stay up most of the night

-to make sure the cows were OK.

-I was desperate to go to bed.

-It was a happy time...

-..but I envied my friends,

-who had more spare time than me.

-The house next door

-to the school in Derwen...

-..was the home

-of Dr Charles Evans's mother.

-He was the Welsh mountaineer...

-..who almost became the first man

-to conquer Everest.

-Charles had been to the Himalayas

-before the Everest Expedition.

-He brought two Sherpas

-home with him.

-They visited the school...

-..and we were shocked to see

-these two dark-skinned men...

-..with red ribbons

-in their dark hair.

-It was rather strange for us,

-living in the countryside.

-During my early days on the farm...

-..the chapel

-was the hub of the community.

-The Baptist chapel

-in Pandy'r Capel.

-I was baptized here.

-Four other boys were baptized

-on the same day.

-I have so many memories

-of this place.

-This is where I was baptized,

-under this floor.

-As a young boy,

-I competed in eisteddfodau here.

-I'd walk down this aisle

-to recite my Biblical verses.

-For many years, I dreamt

-about forgetting my verse.

-In my dream, I'd be at the front

-unable to utter a word.

-I have so many memories

-of this place.

-It's gone forever now.

-Very sad.

-When I was 14 years old,

-in Ysgol Brynhyfryd...

-..my father became very ill.

-He was ill for many years.

-When I was 15...

-..I had to leave school...

-..to run the farm.

-That's what I did, mostly on my own.

-I had some help from neighbours.

-My father died

-when I was 18 years old.

-After my father had been ill

-for three years...

-..my mother started suffering

-from a mental illness.

-She was worried about the farm

-and the animals.

-Our family persuaded us

-to move away from the farm.

-After we left the farm, I worked

-at Wern Ddu quarry near Gwyddelwern.

-I learnt how to grind stone

-with a mallet.

-The work strengthened my muscles.

-I worked there

-for less than a year.

-As I'd left the farm, I was

-called up to do national service.

-I had a keen interest

-in parachuting at the time.

-I was hoping to join

-the Parachute Regiment...

-..but I had broken my knee

-in a motorbike accident.

-When I joined,

-my knee was rather weak.

-I wasn't admitted

-to the Parachute Regiment.

-I ended up

-joining the military police.

-I was a policeman for two years.

-When I left the army, I didn't know

-what I wanted to do with my life.

-I'd already left the quarry

-to work in a factory in Flint.

-I worked every weekend

-with three days off during the week.

-One of my co-workers

-was a man named Gordon Reece.

-On our days off,

-we'd go walking in Snowdonia.

-I enjoyed walking

-in the mountains...

-..and I saw people

-climbing the crags with ropes.

-I decided that I wanted to try it...

-..but I didn't know anyone

-who climbed.

-There was a climbing centre

-near Llyn Ogwen.

-I enrolled on a three-day course

-to learn how to use the ropes.

-That changed the course of my life.

-Often, when I travel

-to Liverpool or Manchester...

-..I visit my parents' grave

-in Pandy'r Capel.

-I ask Bobby Peacock,

-who lives in Yr Hen Gapel...

-..if I can walk the old fields.

-I love walking along the old paths.

-The fond memories

-come flooding back.

-Llanberis Pass has played

-an important part in my life...

-..over the past 50 years.

-I've been climbing these crags

-for many years.

-Crags such as Dinas Mot,

-Cyrn Las and Carreg Wastad.

-This is my favourite crag,

-Dinas y Gromlech.

-This is where I led

-the first climb with a rope.

-I returned to do the same climb

-without a rope.

-Some years later,

-on a crag called Cemetery Gates...

-..I appeared on a TV programme which

-was broadcast in Welsh and English.

-It was the first live programme

-to be broadcast in both languages.

-This crag was first climbed

-by Joe Brown in 1951.

-I don't think Joe Brown

-would attempt what Eric's doing now.

-Precisely. It's very dangerous.

-My friend, Gordon Reece,

-worked with me.

-We both dedicated our lives

-to climbing.

-Every night, when we worked

-in the factory, and on weekends...

-..we talked about climbing...

-..and read all kinds

-of climbing books and magazines.

-This went on for around two years.

-Both of us gained experience

-and attempted more difficult climbs.

-Then something came between us!

-Gordon found a girlfriend

-in Llanberis...

-..and his interest

-in climbing waned.

-We'd come up here on our days off.

-We rented a wooden shack

-at the bottom of the Pass.

-I ended up coming here on my own

-while Gordon was down in Llanberis.

-I decided to attempt one

-of the climbs I'd done before...

-..a relatively easy one, on my own.

-I soon realized that I enjoyed

-this form of climbing.

-It was far easier

-than climbing with a rope.

-Some of the other climbers

-watched me climbing without a rope.

-They thought I was insane.

-For them,

-it was a dangerous thing to attempt.

-The slightest mistake

-could prove fatal.

-That started playing on my mind...

-..but I had confidence

-in my ability.

-I continued to climb on my own

-and within a couple of years...

-..I was attempting

-the most difficult climbs on my own.

-In 1970, I was filming

-on the north face of the Eiger.

-I'd been climbing successfully

-for six days.

-I returned to find

-that Gordon was in hospital.

-He had lung cancer.

-I couldn't believe it.

-He was only 32 years old

-and looked a picture of health.

-He didn't appear to have

-any problems at all.

-I went to visit him in hospital

-and he looked quite healthy.

-I spoke to his wife,

-who said that there was no hope.

-He died when he was 32 years old.

-His young son had been born

-a few weeks earlier.

-This had a lasting effect on me.

-I decided that there were

-no guarantees in life.

-I decided to live every day

-as if it were my last.

-Who knows when it would end?

-On my tours and climbs

-over the years...

-..I've worn a helmet emblazoned

-with Cymru and a red dragon.

-Other climbers would enquire

-about Cymru and the dragon.

-I'd tell them that Cymru

-was Welsh for Wales.

-I'm proud of the fact

-that I am a Welshman.

-Being a Welshman,

-and living in Wales...

-..has been an important part

-of my life.

-Wherever I've visited

-around the world...

-..I'm always glad

-to return to Wales.

-I was never a great climber

-in the Himalayas or in Patagonia.

-After about three or four weeks...

-..I always wanted

-to come home to Wales.

-My heart is here.

-This is where I'll be

-for the rest of my days.

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-The Eiger is a special mountain.

-It's not the highest peak

-in the Alps...

-..but the north face

-is the highest crag in the Alps.

-It's 6,000ft high from its base.

-It consists of rock and hard ice.

-Some of the rocks are loose.

-It's a dangerous climb.

-Over the years,

-there have been many accidents here.

-Many climbers

-have been killed on the mountain.

-Climbers started coming here

-in the 1930s.

-They were mostly German.

-About half a dozen were killed...

-..before the first climber

-reached the summit.

-I've been visiting Grindelwald...

-..for the past 40 years...

-..to climb, ski, paraglide

-and go mountain biking.

-My connection with the north face

-began in 1970...

-..when I came here

-with three friends...

-..to try and climb the north face

-and film the ascent.

-It took us six days to reach

-the summit in September 1970.

-Six days of hard climbing.

-We were fortunate to have favourable

-conditions over the six days.

-We didn't eat a thing

-on the final two days.

-When we returned

-to Kleine Scheidegg...

-..we were shattered.

-He's a great climbing partner

-and a very safe climber.

-It's a pleasure

-watching him on the crag.

-He virtually slides up

-the rock face.

-You have to watch carefully to see

-how he does some of the moves...

-..if you want to do it

-as well as him.

-Sometimes, if he

-encounters difficulties...

-..he's sensible enough to return

-to the base and try again later.

-Sometimes, he asks me

-if I want to give it a go.

-On the other hand,

-he can be very determined.

-When we were climbing the Old Man

-of Hoy in poor weather conditions...

-..I soon realized we would be on it

-until we'd reached the summit.

-Once I'd climbed the Eiger

-with my friends in 1970...

-..I did many solo climbs

-during the following years...

-..in the Alps

-and back home in Britain.

-By the mid 1970s...

-..I felt experienced enough

-and confident enough...

-..to climb

-the Eiger's north face alone.

-At the time, I worked in an American

-climbing centre in Zermatt.

-Every summer,

-when the courses were over...

-..I'd travel to Grindelwald hoping

-for good weather to climb the Eiger.

-I had to wait four years

-for that to happen

-In 1980, I climbed the north face

-in 18 hours.

-When I decided to climb

-the Eiger's north face alone...

-..my friend,

-the film-maker Leo Dickinson...

-..wanted to film the climb.

-On the first day, I set off

-at one o'clock in the afternoon.

-I climbed up here, across

-the Hinterstoisser Traverse...

-..to the Swallow's Nest Bivouac.

-I spent my first night there.

-Early the next morning, I continued

-up the first ice field...

-..towards the second ice field...

-..across 1,000ft of ice field

-to the Death Bivouac...

-..where the first men

-who attempted the climb died.

-From there,

-across the third ice field...

-..and a 1,000ft ascent

-across the Rampe.

-This is where I spent

-the second bivouac.

-On the third morning, I crossed

-the Traverse of the Gods...

-..into the White Spider...

-..up the Exit Cracks, the Mittellegi

-Ridge and on to the summit.

-As I approached the summit,

-I decided to take it slowly.

-You can still fall from the summit.

-I'd dreamt about this climb

-so many times over the years.

-I couldn't believe

-that I was about to succeed.

-As I reached the ridge,

-where Leo was filming me...

-..it was such a great feeling.

-Naturally, a climber will feel fear.

-You have to control that fear.

-That's what I've managed to do over

-the years when I've climbed alone.

-During my early days of climbing,

-I could feel the panic.

-I soon realized

-I had to control that fear.

-I felt in danger many times

-when I climbed the Eiger.

-Often, I would talk to myself...

-..and suppress the panic.

-That was important.

-One of my interests as a child

-was parachuting.

-Over the years, I'd parachuted

-in Perris, southern California.

-I met a famous parachutist

-called Moe Viletto.

-Moe had started to BASE jump.

-B is jumping off a Building.

-A is for Antenna,

-or television tower.

-S is for the Span of a bridge.

-E is for Earth or cliff.

-Moe was eager to do some climbing.

-He'd done very little climbing.

-He agreed to teach me to BASE jump

-if I taught him to climb.

-We found ourselves

-in Kleine Scheidegg.

-We climbed the west side

-of the Eiger, the easiest side.

-On our descent...

-..we found a place where we could

-jump over the north face.

-We returned in two days' time

-with our parachutes.

-Moe taught me what to do.

-I felt rather nervous

-because it was my first BASE jump.

-No-one had done a BASE jump

-off the Eiger before.

-We jumped for two to three seconds,

-opened the parachute...

-..and landed in Kleine Scheidegg.

-It was a great feeling.

-I've thought a lot about the time

-when I'm too old to climb mountains.

-It'll be harder for me...

-..than for someone

-who retired at a younger age.

-I hope I can cope with it.

-It will be difficult for me,

-having done so much over the years.

-I've been lucky with my health.

-He's so modest about his successes.

-Everyone admires him for that.

-He didn't set out

-to make a name for himself.

-He climbed

-to achieve personal satisfaction.

-The three places

-are very important to me.

-I was there

-during important times in my life.

-Where I was born and raised...

-..and where I return

-to relive fond memories.

-Llanberis Pass is where I started

-climbing and still climb...

-..but on easier climbs

-than years ago.

-Today, Grindelwald has become

-a second home for me.

-I've been here so many times.

-It's a lovely, magical place

-to visit.

-I'll be coming here

-as long as I can.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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