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 Lina Eckenstein, the polymath feminist, … See more

Eckenstein was one of the few people who readily climbed with mystic and magician Aleister Crowley. In his autobiography Confessions, Crowley praises Eckenstein in several … 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 … See more

Eckenstein climbed in the English Lake District with George and Ashley Abraham, though their relationship was not always smooth, and in North … 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, … 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