Adventurer Steve Graham made it home from the Antarctic to spend Christmas in the warmth of his family home in the North-East. He talked to Peter Barron.

TRAPPED for three days in his tent in bone-aching temperatures of -48 degrees, there were many times when Steve Graham closed his eyes and thought of being home for Christmas with his family.

And yesterday that dream came true as he spent the big day in the warmth of his Darlington home with wife Hollie and sons Sam, 17, and Max, ten.

The self-employed heating engineer set off for the coldest place on earth last month, landing on a runway of natural blue ice on a Russian cargo plane, before climbing one of the world’s most challenging mountains, Mount Vinson.

It came just months after Steve had become the first Darlington man to climb Mount Everest and his expeditions this year have raised more than £15,000 for St Teresa’s Hospice and Prostate Cancer UK.

“In terms of the actual climb, it was relatively straight-forward this time but the conditions were something else,” said Steve. “It never got any warmer than -20 and the slightest wind changed everything. Sometimes, they reached 40 knots and it was just incredible.”

When he reached the summit, Steve planted a flag bearing the logos of companies that had supported him: Darlington Building Society, JT Atkinson Building Supplies, Anthony Jones Properties, and Videcon.

But Steve and his party were then trapped at base camp in an Antarctic storm for three days, with all flights in and out postponed.

“It was just a question of waiting for it to subside, so I read a lot and thought of getting home to be with Hollie and the kids,” he said.

With news reaching Darlington of the terrible weather conditions in the Antarctic, Hollie had doubts about whether Steve would make it home Christmas: “We were all really missing him and there were times when we wondered if he’d be back in time but thank God he did and it’s fantastic to have him home.”

Described by Steve as his “rock”, Hollie has got used to Steve’s expeditions. The adventurer’s nickname is “Seven Summit Steve” because his ambition is to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. Mount Vinson, which stands at 16,000 feet, was the sixth.

“It’s hard when he’s away but it’s just part of him and you can’t stop someone doing what they are so passionate about,” she said.

Days after being restricted to dehydrated food while making the four-day Antarctic climb, Christmas dinner comprised turkey and all the trimmings. However, the festivities were tinged with sadness when the family’s much-loved Dachshund, Rocky, died after being taken ill while Steve was away.

“Rocky was part of the family so it’s been really hard,” said Steve.

His next mission is to climb the Cartenz Pyramid, in Papua, and complete the famed seven summits. “Hopefully, that will happen in the first quarter of 2019 – I just want to finish the job now,” he said.

He then wants to explore the possibility of setting up a charitable foundation to help adults and children achieve their dreams.

“I’ve had so many people saying I’ve inspired them and the joy I get now is seeing how others get out and achieve things they might have thought were out of reach,” he said. “It’s definitely something I’d like to look into further.”

However, it is highly unlikely that the completion of the seven summits will see an end to Steve’s own epic adventures. “I’ll always find another challenge,” he said with a smile.