Caradog "Crag" Jones (b. 1962) was the first Welshman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, a feat he achieved in May 1995, at the age of 33. The ascent was made with the first Dane.

Jones was born and bred in Pontrhydfendigaid, a village near Tregaron, Ceredigion, in mid-Wales. He has admitted that as a boy he was inspired by the exploits of the early Everest pioneers, whom he read about because they did much of their pre-expedition training in Snowdonia.^[1]

His ascent of Everest was made into a 52 minute film for telvision [1], and featured camera work by Eric Jones, another Welshman (but no relation) from Tremadog who has now twice been part way up Everest whilst working as a cameraman, but has never reached the summit - he was the third member of the 1978 expedition when Messner and Habler became the first to reach the summit without oxygen cylinders.

Jones took the northern route, following that of Mallory and Irvine, and the climb was plagued by poor weather. After three nights spent at the highest camp, their food and oxygen ran out. However, they learnt on the radio that some abandoned oxygen bottles lay about 500ft above them, left by another expedition. They were also fortunate to find sufficient food.

Eventually, the wind dropped and the pair rose at midnight to plan their summit push. 'And then, suddenly, this body bursts through our tent and made us jump out of our skin. He was an American, a stray from another expedition. He was listening in to things on a radio and knew that we were getting ready. He thought this was his chance for the top, so he came up on fixed ropes and he was completely wrecked. He was insistent he was going to come with us.' Jones realised the American, who called himself Charles, was in no fit state, and he tried to persuade him that they would have to carry him back a long way from the peak. 'A discussion turned into an argument and I was absolutely furious because we were behind schedule. I had to threaten to hit him with an oxygen bottle in order to make him stay behind.'

At the summit, Jones is reported as thinking [2]

It felt as if you could see the curvature of the earth. And it suddenly dawns on you how thin the atmosphere is, especially when you've walked through it of your own accord. When you're on the ground, one assumes that there's this vast depth above you protecting the earth, but when you're up there, you realise that you're in an area that can't sustain life for very long. You think, Christ, it's like a gossamer that can disappear so easily and I felt a lot less secure after that.

After his climb, Caradog Jones was afterwards in demand to make TV programmes for younger climbers.

Jones is well travelled and has climbed in many countries across the world. He also supports local walking groups and appears at functions arranged by walking and climbing groups.

Dafydd Morgan, Secretary of Clwb Crwydro Caron, Tregaron's Walking Club, described him as "a most gentle, genuine and mild-mannered man .... Those who didn't know Caradog would have found it difficult to perceive how such a gentle and amiable person succeeded in reaching the summit of the world's highest, harshest and most unforgiving of mountains." [3]

As a Welsh speaker he is occasionally approached to speak on Radio Cymru and S4C.

Jones now lives with his wife and daughter in Frodsham, Cheshire, working as a freelance fisheries consultant.[4]

Jones is not the only Welshman to have climbed Everest. The first disabled person (amputee) to successfully do so was Welshman Tom Whittaker, on May 27th, 1998. [5] He had previously lost his right foot and part of his leg in a car accident in 1979.

See also

• Timeline of climbing Mount Everest

References

External link

• Article on BBC website
• Taking part in a Scottish winter climb, 2003