Eckenstein's father was a Jewish socialist from Bonn who had fled the Kingdom of Prussia following the failed revolution of 1848. His mother was English.
His sisters were See more

Together with Matthias Zurbriggen he made the first ascent of the Stecknadelhorn (4,241 m) in the Pennine Alps on 8 August 1887; on 10 July 1906, together with Karl Blodig and Alexis Brocherel, he made the first ascent of Mont Brouillard See more

Eckenstein was a member of an expedition led by Sir Martin Conway to the Baltoro Muztagh region in 1892. The expedition was … See more

He was a railway engineer for most of his life – well educated, and insufferably arrogant (some said). He was not one to mince words, and a … See more

Eckenstein climbed in the English Lake District with George and Ashley Abraham, though their relationship was not always smooth, and in North Wales with Geoffrey Winthrop Young and J. M. Archer Thomson. An early advocate of bouldering, on the Eckenstein … See more

Eckenstein was one of the few people who readily climbed with mystic and magician Aleister Crowley. In Crowley's autobiography, the Confessions, he mentions that they first met at Wasdale Head in 1898. Crowley dedicated the Confessions to six … See more

In the late 19th century, the typical ice axe shaft measured 120–130 cm in length. Eckenstein started the trend toward shorter ice axes with a lighter model measuring 85–86 cm, which could be used single handed. Initially, this innovation was criticised by well … See more