Summit Tower Three Brothers. Click on image for full screen version.

The ‘Three Brothers’ was one of the last big unclimbed summits on the island over 6,000 feet and considered not easy. Our Welsh sponsored expedition was launched from Base Camp Pelagic in Stromness Bay, not far from where Shackleton and his companions arrived after their celebrated trek across the island in 1916. Al Hughes, Skip Novak and Crag Jones took a week to ferry loads from the whaling station at Husvik on to and across the Neumayer Glacier.

The next two weeks were spent tent bound (three in a tent for two) in difficult conditions below the east face. On the last day before our rendezvous back on board, and still in gale conditions, Crag decided to go for it solo. He disappeared on us into the swirling mist at 0500 and miraculously, four hours later the weather cleared and he was able to make for the summit. After a steep climb of the final pyramid, he found the top (6,693 feet) had five summits so to be safe he traversed all of them, at times au cheval. He descended in good conditions, but by the time he got back to the tent (and to the relief of Al and Skip) at 1730 the weather had kicked in nasty again. His ascent is considered to be the hardest to date on the island given the conditions and the fact he made it solo.

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