Technical Feature
Winner Kingsley Jones
Climb the Eiger
When I wrote this article, I was very
aware that I’d been petrified of the Eiger
before my first ascent of it (and the other
times too, if I’m honest), but there is
some magnetic appeal to this mountain.
I wanted to share enough technical information
and tips to encourage competent alpinists
to consider this route. The key advice was for
climbers not to be put off by the history, by the
stature of the mountain, or by those who haven’t
climbed it. It’s a dream, but not for dreamers.
Do your preparation well, and you can enjoy it.
The route is an absolute classic, and it’s a huge
achievement to climb it.
Kingsley Jones
Climb the Eiger (excerpt)
Introduction
E
iger! Just hearing the name of this iconic mountain
raises the heart rate. A kaleidoscope of images,
memories and history flickers through my mind:
Ueli Steck running up the north face, the Jungfraujoch
railway gallery windows in the lower wall, the body
of Toni Kurz dangling on a rope, and the clouds that
bubble up within the north face creating a weather
system of their own. The Eiger is a mountain that is
hard to climb, due to the weight of history and legend
on your shoulders. The names of the pioneers seem to
have gained a slightly higher plinth in the annals of
mountaineering history than from other mountains:
Hinterstoisser, Almer, Heckmair, Barrington, Harlin,
Bonington, and Harrer.
Books have been written, films have been shot,
and even Olympic medals have been awarded, about
the Eiger. Perhaps it reached the consciousness of
the public due to the well documented, and highly
visible, unfolding of the dramas of the first ascents and
accidents on the north face, from the hotel and train
at Kleine Scheidegg. On most mountains the epics,
accidents and triumphs, are hidden from the public
gaze. Not so for the Eiger, where each drama was played
out in a glare of publicity due to its visibility. This was
far before the era of social media, but all the more
compelling as clickbait.
Mittellegi Arête
As a teenager, I remember camping below the north face
above Grindelwald one day. We’d arrived in the pouring
rain, with the cloud low down, and no visibility. The
next day dawned dry and beautiful, and I woke early.
Unzipping the tent door, I looked out directly onto the
north face of the Eiger. To this day I vividly remember
zipping the door straight back up, and retreating back
into my tent. I shook slightly; the view had been so awe
inspiring, so real, so tangible. It took a minute to pluck
26 Outdoor focus | winter 2018
the courage up to take another peek. It was time to get
used to it, as we were due to be climbing the Lauper
route, starting the next day.
When you gaze at the north face, the left-hand
skyline follows what looks like an impossibly steep
starks fin of rock all the way to the summit. The line is
perfect – the Mittellegi Arête. It has vast rock towers,
icy runnels, rock ridges, and snowy traverses. The
route soars upwards to reach the summit. It’s a perfect
route, following a clear line up the mountain. What
makes it appeal to many climbers is two fold – despite
all its history, the Eiger is just below the magic 4,000m
contour, so is less busy than many surrounding peaks
such as the Finsteraarhorn or Jungfrau, and a few of the
most awkward parts of the Mittellegi Arête have fixed
ropes to facilitate progress.
These two factors appeal to the misanthrope in
me, in that I want to escape the crowds of many alpine
peaks, but what about the fixed ropes on the most
technical sections? Well, it all helps, and when catching
mountain railways, and staying in mountain huts, the
clean ethics have long sailed out of the window. There’s