WHEN Ike Bainbridge, of Southfield Farm, Appleby, travelled on Zermatt's Klein Matterhorn cable-car with his sister, mountain guide Kathy Murphy, last February, little did he know that his comments about the adventurers he could see climbing the next-door 4,164-metre (13,500-foot) Breithorn mountain would lead to him following in their footsteps, writes Karen Morley.

For it wasn't long before Kathy, who was brought up in Appleby and worked as an Outdoors Activities Trainer in the Lake District before moving to Chamonix, in the shadow of Mont Blanc, had arranged to guide him and Appleby-friend Nick Swinscoe on that very same climb to the summit of the Breithorn.

So it was that on December 5, after a few days training and acclimatisation, Ike and Nick, both 45-years old, set off from the top of the Klein Matterhorn cable-car, ably guided by Kathy and her partner, Mark Charlton. It took over three hours of hard climbing using snowshoes and, as the climb got steeper, crampons. The weather was bitterly cold, with temperatures down to minus 20 degrees Celsius, and it was snowing and windy.

Eventually they hit the ridge leading to the to the summit, with a 1,200ft drop on the side, and after summoning their courage made it to the very top. After a brief stop for photographs and to catch their breath,it was all the way back down.

"It was exciting and scary, especially when we hit the ridge, but well worth it" said Ike afterwards, "especially as Nick and I managed to raise over 400 pounds for local charities by completing the climb."

Kathy was full of praise for her trainee climbers: "Considering they had very little fitness training, and only a short time for acclimatisation, they performed very well. The climb was made more difficult by the deep snow and poor visibility, and they should both be very proud of their achievement, both in reaching the Breithorn summit and in raising so much money for charity."

Ike has just as much praise for Kathy: "Without my sister egging me on, this climb would never have taken place. I am very grateful that she took time out of her busy guiding schedule to give us the essential training we needed and then to lead us so safely."

Kathy's climbing activities have taken her to North and South America, Africa and Asia as well as over 20 seasons in Europe, but she now spends most of her time in the Alps. During the winter her main activities are off-piste skiing and ski touring. Summertime is also spent mountain guiding and, although based in Chamonix, her work takes her to many different regions of the Alps.

What does the future hold for Ike and Nick as far as climbing is concerned? "Kathy has told us we have to get a lot fitter before we can attempt Mont Blanc, Europe's biggest mountain," says Ike, "so it looks like it will be a while before Nick and I climb that. Watch this space!"

January 8, 2003 09:00