Sir Ranulph conquers the terrors of 'the Ogre'

Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes was yesterday recovering in a Swiss hotel after reaching the summit of the Eiger in the Alps via its north face, a 13,000ft peak notorious for its uncompromising snow-capped ridges and treacherous rock-face.

After five nights of sleeping on ledges of solid ice and rocks, he headed straight for a hot bath.

A vertigo sufferer, Sir Ranulph, 63, struggled with dizzy spells and was hit on the head by a falling rock before he reached the top.

He didn't spend too much time taking in the view and was whisked back to base in a helicopter at lunchtime.

Sir Ranulph, who is aiming to raise £1.5m for the Marie Curie cancer charity, said that at one stage his "mind crumbled" and he realised that he had not appreciated the enormity of the challenge.

He said: "To be honest it is more than I would have wanted to have taken on. I think I will have nightmares for a long time. My policy of not looking down just wasn't possible, there was nowhere but down."

Sir Ranulph tackled the Ogre, as the mountain is known in German, despite his dizzying fear of heights and a heart condition.

His only company on the climb were experienced mountaineers Kenton Cool and Ian Parnell. Sir Ranulph himself only learned to climb two years ago.

The mountain is revered as one of the most difficult climbs in world.

Sir Ranulph lost his wife, mother and sister to cancer in an 18-month period.