Hargreaves, Alison (1962–1995)

English mountaineer. In 1988 she became the first British woman to climb the north face of the Eiger. She scaled the six main Alpine north faces (the Eiger, Matterhorn, Grandes Jorasses, Dru, Badille, and Cima Grande) solo in a single season during 1993, and in May 1995 climbed Mount Everest alone and without supplementary oxygen. In August 1995 she climbed K2, the world's second biggest mountain, but died in a blizzard on the descent.

Hargreaves was born in Belper, Derbyshire. She learned to climb at secondary school, and then joined Jim Ballard, later her husband, in his outdoor climbing business. Her record-breaking climb on the Eiger in 1988 was achieved while six months pregnant with their first child.