John Caradoc Jones or "Crag" Jones (born 1962) is a Welsh mountaineer.
On 23 May 1995, Jones became the first Welshman to reach the summit of Mount Everest (and the 724th overall). [1] [2] Jones was part of a larger expedition led by British climber Henry Todd, but he made his ascent from the Tibetan side (i.e. north east ridge) as part of a lightweight pairing with Michael Knakkergaard Jørgensen, the first Dane to summit Everest; the pair had spent 10-weeks acclimatising. [1] [3]
Jones has climbed all over the world, and has made a diverse range of first ascents including with Mick Fowler on Hunza Peak in Pakistan (1991), [4] with Fowler again with Yes, Please (E3 6a) on Yesnaby Castle sea-stack in Orkney (1996), and a solo climb of the highest peak of Three Brothers, South Georgia (2001). [2] Jones has also undertaken exploratory expeditions, such as in 2005 with Julian Freeman-Attwood, Rich Howarth, and Skip Novak, when they completed a 17-day south–north traverse of South Georgia, which also included a first ascent of Peak 5680. [5]
Jones was born and raised in Pontrhydfendigaid, a village near Tregaron, Ceredigion, in Wales. [1] In 1982, he graduated with a degree in marine biology at Bangor University, [3] and in-between climbing expeditions, Jones has worked in fisheries including in the Falklands and in South Georgia. [6] He now lives with his wife and children in Helsby, Cheshire, working as a freelance fisheries consultant. [2]