Going To Extremes

Lifelong adventurer Steve Back shall on giving up meat, rolling back the  years with yoga,and how he’s preparing for his biggest challenge yet

You’re just back from an abortive attempt to climb the North Face of the Eiger. What happened?

The Beast From The East happened! The plan was to attempt the North Face, but the weather absolutely hammered us. It was minus 35°C on the face itself with 50km/hwinds, which took it to about minus 70°. We gave it a crack but had to move to some mountains further south and west, which weren’t being battered quite as much – but it was still pretty full on!

Do you think you’ll try again?

Yeah. There are few other places in Europe where you can feel so utterly dominated as when standing in front of the North Face of the Eiger. It’s a mile of steep or over-hanging rock, ice and snow, and remains one of the great mountaineering challenges. To be at the base and look up –well, any climber imagines what it must be like to climb. I’ve had that desire ever since I was a kid, and I’ll be back.

Age brings experience, but does that compensate for the loss of strength and fitness you had as a younger man?