New Speed Record Set On The Eiger North Face

According to the Mammut Blog, one of their sponsored athletes, Dani Arnold, has set a new speed record on the North Face of the Eiger, speed up the iconic face in just 2 hours, 28 minutes. The 27-year old Swiss climber shaved 20 minutes off the previous record, set by Ueli Steck back in 2008.

Arnold climbed the Heckmair route solo, passing other teams along the way. Setting out just after 9 AM, he was on top of the mountain by 11:33 AM.  Unlike Ueli's ascent from a few years back, he didn't free climb the Hinterstoisser traverse however, as by spring, the route isn't safe for that kind of approach.

The Eiger is one of the most well known and popular climbing destinations in the entire world. Standing 3970 meters (13,025 ft) in height, the mountain was first climbed back in 1858, although the North Face wasn't conquered until 1938. It took the better part of two days to complete that climb, which makes it all the more amazing that modern climbers are topping out in just 2.5 hours.

No word yet on if Ueli will attempt to reclaim the record. After all, he is a bit busy in the Himalaya at the moment.

Alpinist Continues Speed Series Interviews

A couple of weeks back I posted about a fascinating set of articles that had been published at Alpinist.com. Dubbed the "Speed Series" the stories were a set of interviews with some of the top speed climbers on the planet, including Alex Honnold, Sean Leary, and Dean Potter. Since then, there have been two more additions to the Speed Series, putting Ueli Steck and Hans Florine under the microscope.

Part III of the series is with Steck, who, for my money, just might be the strongest climber on the planet. Ueli has set speed records on the Eiger that are simply unbelievable, knocking off that beast in just 2 hours, 47 minutes, 33 seconds. In the interview, Steck talks about what got him started in speed climbing (he began on the Eiger!), how he improved his times on that iconic mountain, and his general approach to the "lifestyle" of climbing. It is an insightful and interesting read about what makes one of the top climbers of this generation tick.

The focus of Part IV is Hans Florine, who has held a number of speed records in Yosemite, including what was once the fastest time up The Nose on El Cap. Hans discusses why he loves climbing in Yosemite Valley, what draws him to speed climbing, and how he got started. (Hint: They were just trying to squeeze in as many climbs as the could!) He also touches on alpine climbing vs. speed climbing, as well has his philosophy on the sport, amongst other things.

I'm not sure if Alpinist has any more interviews such as these planned for the weeks ahead, but I've found them to be excellent to read. Writer Gwen Cameron has done a great job in rounding up some of the best climbers around and allowed us to get inside their heads and see what drives them. Hopefully this will be a regular series for some time.

Trailer For Jeff Lowe's Metanoia Film

Back in the winter of 1991, climber Jeff Lowe spent nine days putting up a new route on the Eiger. After completing that very difficult, and life altering, route, he named it Metanoia. No one has ever been able to duplicate that route ever since. Now, a new film is in the works that will tell the tale of that climb and the impact it had on the alpine world.

Yesterday, I received a note about this film, which is scheduled to be released later this year. In that note, there was a plea for donations to help complete the movie. The production team was seeking $25,000 to do just that. Today, when I clicked on the donations page, I see that they not only reached their goal, they've actually earned nearly $38,000 in the process. Pretty impressive response from the climbing community, and a job well done!

Also, the film interviews climber Ueli Steck about Lowe and the Metanoia climb. Ueli, who is amongst the strongest climbers in the world in my opinion, has nothing but good things to say. He is also gearing up to make an attempt on Metanoia himself. If anyone can climb the route, is is probably Steck.

Dean Potter Free Climbing The Eiger

I caught this video over at Backcountry.com's Goat Blog yesterday and wanted to share it here as well. It's of big wall climber Dean Potter, as he makes an amazing free climb of the Eiger using a BASE jumping chute as his life line in case he falls. Potter has combined two of his major passions, rock climbing and BASE jumping, to ensure that he can get a the challenge of one, while using the other for safety purposes.

Some of the images in this video are simply stunning. Great stuff. I hope you enjoy.

dean potter from cl1 on Vimeo.

Thoughts on The North Face

Awhile back I posted a story about a promising looking climbing film called The North Face, and that it was about to get a release in the U.S. It turns out it was a fairly limited release, and while I waited and watched for it to come to my local theater, it never arrived. Now, I live in Austin, TX, which has quite a reputation as a "movie town". Heck, SXSW is starting this week, and literally dozens of films will be debuting there, so you can imagine my disappointment when the movie wasn't scheduled to play here.

Enter, REI. Yes, the gear store. Thankfully, they picked up the film and have been showing it off in some of their stores. When I saw it show up on my event calendar for March, I immediately made reservations, and planned to catch it. Last night, that finally happened, and I can tell you it was worth the wait.

The movie tells the tale of two German climbers, Toni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser (Played by Benno Furmann and Florian Lukas), who set out to challenge the Eiger back in 1936. At that time, climbing was quite the obsession in Europe, with newspaper stories written about mountaineers and their daring deeds. It was also a matter of national pride for climbers from a specific country to make a first ascent, something that would spur Kurz and Hinterstoisser on, as they made their attempt on the "Europe's last great problem" in the name of the Fuhrer.

The film is beautifully shot, with both the landscapes and the action coming across very realistically. This is a movie that captures the essence of climbing, and the men who love it so. It is also historically accurate, and there were a number of times that I was struck by how primitive Kurz and Hinterstoisser's gear was while I watched them climb. Everything form the clothes they wore, the packs they used, and even the pitons they pounded into the rock were painstakingly recreated, and it gives the film a level of realism that isn't always found in these kinds of movies.

Those who know the tales of the Eiger know doubt know this tale too. I won't spoil it for those that don't, but it plays out on the screen very well, It is gripping to watch, and even while sitting in an REI store, I was riveted to the screen, watching the events play out. The characters are extremely well developed, the acting is superb, and, everything comes together on multiple levels. This isn't Cliffhanger. This is a different kind of climbing film, and fans of the sport will enjoy it greatly. Historians of the sport will likely fall in love with it.

In case you couldn't tell, I loved the film, and recommend it very highly. If you get the chance, you must see it. I'm not sure when it comes out on DVD, but I'll definitely be looking to add it to my collection. And I can't give a film a higher rating than that. Really great stuff.

North Face Coming To US Theaters January 29th

A few weeks back I posted a link to a trailer for an upcoming film called North Face which recounts the efforts of German climbers circa 1936 to conquer the unclimbed North Face of the Eiger. Now, a few more details on the film, including a release date, have emerged.

The film is set to hit American theaters on Friday, January 29th. I've been told that the film has been out for months in Europe, but it is just now making its way to this side of the pond, and from most accounts, it is worth the wait. The movie will center around German climbers Toni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser (Played by Benno Furmann and Florian Lukas respective), who were spurred on by nationalism and Nazi pride, to make an attempt on the most dangerous and notorious rock face in the Alps.

The climb begins innocently enough, but conditions soon begin to erode on the mountain, and two men find themselves in a race against time, with the elements closing in around them, and while they are suspended on one of the most challenging and physically demanding rock faces anywhere in the world.

For those that haven't seen it, I've posted the trailer once again. The film looks like it was stunningly shot, and I'm already looking forward to catching it. I'm glad it's finally coming stateside, as it's obviously better late then never.

Upcoming Movie North Face Set To Wash Vertical Limit From Our Minds

Mountaineering films have had a long and storied history in cinema, some good, some not so good. But when I came across this trail for a German film called North Face this morning on the Outside Blog, I couldn't help but be impressed. The film centers around two climbers taking on the North Face of the Eiger in an era when national pride could rest on the shoulders of mountaineers. The film looks beautifully shot, and appears to have faithfully recreated a climbing experience during the Nazi era. Screenings for the film are fairly sparse at the moment, but perhaps they'll add more opportunities for all of us to catch this. Otherwise, there is always Netflix! Looks great!

Speed Riding Video From NG Adventure Blog

The National Geographic Adventure Blog has a great video of Francois Bon, one of their Adventurers of the Year, speed riding down the Eiger and Aconcagua. What's "speed riding" you ask? That's the insand activity of climbing up a mountain, then jumping off the summit with a pair of skis on your feet and a parachute on your back. The result is an adrenline fueled ride down the side of the mountain that is half-skiing, and half-flying, and all fun! Check out the video to see what I mean.

NBC To Air Potter's FreeBASE Climb of The Eiger

Tomorrow, NBC will air a new edition of the Jeep World of Adventure Sports, their semi-monthly television show that covers all manner of outdoor adventures. This latest episode will shine the spotlight on a night time surfing competition, skiing in British Columbia, and more. But the main focus will be on Dean Potter, and his epic free climb of the Eiger.

Technically Dean climbed the mountain in what is being called the freeBASE style. That is to say, he free climbed the mountain, without using any ropes, but had a parachute on his back in case he fell. Scaling the North Face of the Eiger, without any protection is an amazing feat, and it should be very impressive to watch when it airs tomorrow at 2:30 PM EDT.

We already knew Potter was one of the best climbers in the world, and if you've followed some of his exploits, you probably knew that he was a big fan of BASE jumping as well. It seems only natural that he'd combine the two sports together in this manner. He told Outside Magazine that he is just getting started with this sport, and he has plans for doing other big walls in Europe and the U.S., including a possible freeBASE attempt on El Cap along the Nose route. Hopefully NBC will be on hand to capture that as well.

Ueli Gives the Details on "Paciencia"

Speaking of the Eiger, a few weeks back I posted about Ueli Steck opening a new route on the mountain with climbing partner Stephan Siegrist. The new route was named "Paciencia" , which means patience, which is the virtue Ueli needed to complete the route, considering he free climbed the entire thing.

Today, he's submitted a post to the Mountain Hardwear Blog with more details on the climb and some photos as well.

The origins of the route date back to 2003, when Ueli and Stephan spent much of their summer on the Eiger's North Face. It was then that the began to hatch a plan to free climb the Eiger along a different route. Fast forward five years, and they've finally completed it, but it certainly wasn't easy. Ueli talks about the route, the challenges it presented, and the feelings of accomplishment that he felt upon finally completing it.

It's another very compelling read from a supremely gifted climber.

Hiking The Eiger with John Harlin

The Great Outdoors has a cool story today with the author, Peter Potterfield, hiking the Eiger with none other than John Harlin himself. For Potterfield, it's his first trip to the iconic European mountain, but Harlin has lived with in it's shadow, literally and figuratively, his whole life.

Back in 1966, Harlin's father, also named John, was a climbing legend in Europe, and along with Scottish climber Dougal Haston, he attempted to climb the Eiger on what became known as the Eiger Direct route. Harlin, Sr. lost his life on that climb when a rope broke. Harlin, Jr., who was just a boy at the time, vowed to never climb that face, but the mountain loomed over him no matter where he went, and two years ago he returned to the Eiger and exorcised it's demon by scaling it himself. He then wrote a book about his experience entitled The Eiger Obsession, which I reviewed here.

Now, Harlin returns to the mountain to give Potterfield a tour, riding the Jungfrau Railroad to the Eiger Trail, and then proceeding to hike it's length. Despite the fact that the pair are hiking the mountain, rather than climbing it, the trek is still a challenging one, with steep, rocky trails, and perilous drops.

The hike is detailed nicely in the article and it sounds like quite an experience, with breathtaking views all around. Especially of the other famous peaks of the region that include the Wetterhorn, the Jungfrau, and the Monk. Reading Potterfield's description of the trek, it sounds like it's an amazing experience, and one of those things you shouldn't miss out on when in Switzerland. I know there are a lot of famous hikes in Europe and that this is seldom listed amongst them, but for m any of us, the only way we'd see the summit of the Eiger is along a path like this. That alone makes it worth the effort.

Great story. Definitely a must read.

Ueli Steck Completes New Route On The Eiger!

Climbing superman Ueli Steck, along with partner Stephan Siegrist, have put up a new route on the Eiger, free climbing a difficult line along it's North Face. The Hardwear Sessions Blog has the scoop directly from Ueli himself who says:

Stephan belayed and supported me. Together we climbed this very difficult and demanding rock climb on the Eiger Northface. Two pitches have the difficulty of 7c+, one pitch 8a and the rest of the pitches vary mostly between 7a and 7b+.

He goes on to define "free climbing" which helped to give the new route it's name:

This means that the route has to be climbed without falling and the bolts and the installed belays cannot be used to forward or to rest. The route is climbed only by using the natural structures: the rock. Only when a route is free climbed, is she definitively climbed. And now she also has a name. "Paciencia," which means "patience."

Congrats to Ueli and Stephen. Sounds like a really challenging climb. Ueli notes that now that he's finished up this climb, not to mention plenty others this year, he can finally go on holiday where he'll "sport climb: what else!"

70th Anniversary of First Ascent on the Eiger North Face

Yesterday marked the 70th anniversary of the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, perhaps the most iconic of all the European big walls. Back in 1938, the Eiger was a daunting foe that had already claimed many lives, and it took meticulous planning and incredible skill to assail it's face. Three days after setting out, Anderl Heckmair, Ludwig Vörg, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek eventually stood on the summit, triumphant at last.

This is in stark contrast to today, where better equipment, refined techniques, and known routes have allowed Ueli Steck to speed climb the Eiger in just 2 hours, 47 minutes and change. The Eiger remains a daunting rite of passage for many european climbers, and it's North Face has inspired many young climbers over the years.

Writer and photographer Jo Adams has written a great piece on the mountain to commemorate this 70th Anniversary. The article, hosted at RacingandSports.com.au takes an in depth look at the history of the Eiger and the challenges that needed to be overcome on the North Face to allow four men to put up the first ascent. This is definitely a must read for fans of the mountain and those that know some of the epic tales that have taken place in it's shadow.

Interview With Mountaineer Roger Schäli

Our intrepid reporter Jo Adams, who brought us that great story on Ueli Steck winning the Eiger Award over the weekend, is back with another great interview, this time with Swiss climber Roger Schäli, a young mountaineer who has already managed to build an impressive resume.

Schäli began climbing at the age of 14 when his father first took him up into the Alps, but since then he's knocked off South America's coveted triple crown of climbing by successfully scaling Cerro Torre, Torre Egger and Torre Standard. He also teamed with Simon Anthamatten a few months back to set a new team speed record on The Eiger, before going on to become the first person to ever climb the six great North Walls of the Alps - Eiger (3970m), Grandes Jorasses (4208m), Matterhorn (4477m), Petit Dru (3734m), Piz Badile (3308m) and Große Zinne (2999m) - in succession. Impressive indeed.

Despite having tackled challenging big walls all over Europe and South America, Schäli still refers to The Eiger as his playground, and in this interview he talks about climbing his favorite mountain. He says "This mountain is so great! I can leave home at 5am in Bern, climb the north face of the Eiger, stand on the summit and be eating pizza in Bern in the evening!” Which pretty much describes a perfect day for Roger.

Schäli touches on a variety of topics including what it's like to climb with SImon, what it was like putting up a new route on the "Magic Mushroom" of the Eiger, and his plans for the future, although he holds his cards close to the vest when discussing possible new routes.

Thanks again Jo for sharing this great interview with us and for taking some good photos to go along with it. Your works is much appreciated.

Ueli Steck Wins Coveted Eiger Award

The winner of the 2008 Eiger Award was announced last night in Grindelwald, Switzerland with Swiss Climber Ueli Steck taking home the honors. The award comes just months after Ueli set a new speed record on the mountain that the award is named for, beating his old record by 67 minutes, and just days after his dramatic rescue attempt of Iñaki Ochoa on Annapurna.

The typically humble Steck remained modest about his accomplishments, but did, for the first time, reveal some details on what happened while on Annapurna. If you are like me, and watched with baited breath and fingers crossed for news on Iñaki, then you'll want to read this article, as the rescue attempt was just as dramatic as you could imagine. In fact, Ueli says that he, and his climbing partner Simon Anthamatten didn't even have time to grab their usual climbing gear before setting off to help Iñaki and thus they found themselves at 6900 meters wearing their hiking boots and not their high alpine mountaineering footwear.

The article goes on to touch on a number of other items with Ueli as well, such as his speed record attempts, his relationship with Simon, and his long term plans for the future. For now though, he's going to take some much deserved rest and time to reflect on the past year. Congratulations Ueli! You are a very deserving winner of this award!

I'd like to thank Jo Adams for this excellent article and great photos, as well as taking the time to drop me a note to let me know about the event. Ueli has become one of my favorite personalities in the mountaineering world, and I have a feeling this won't be the last piece of hardware he picks up in the near future. He is a great example for all of us.

New Record On The Eiger

Daniel Arnold and Stephen Ruoss have set a new team record for scaling The Eiger according to Alpinist.com, breaking the record set last month by Simon Anthamatten and Roger Schali.

Arnold and Ruoss started at the bottom of the Heckmair Route and scaled the iconic European mountain in just six hours and ten minutes, besting the old record by forty minutes. The Swiss climbers went fast and light, carrying only the minimal equipment needed to make the ascent.

Arnold remarked that there isn't much ice on the Eiger this year, making the conditions poor for climbing. Many climbers depend on ice on the upper sections to hold the rock scree in place and to prevent them from being pelted with stones as they go up. When there is little or no ice, it makes the climb that much more treacherous.

They set off at 1:35 AM climbing in darkness, and took just three hours to reach the Death Bivouac. From there they shot up The Ramp, and made good time in the demanding sections above it, only to face strong winds when they reached the Exit Cracks. By sun rise they were on the Mittelegi Ridge and the summit at 7:45 a.m.

This amazing climb follows Ueli Steck breaking his own speed record a month ago, shooting up the face in just two hours and 47 minutes. Clearly, it's been a very fast year on the Eiger.

Great work guys! Congrats on the new record.

Ueli Steck Sets New Speed Record On The Eiger!!

The Hardwear Sessions Blog is reporting that climber Ueli Steck has set a new speed record on the Eiger, climbing the Heckmair Route in 2 hours, 47 minutes, 33 seconds. This beats the old record, also held by Steck, and set just last year, by nearly 67 minutes.

Steck, a Swiss mountaineer, has been climbing the Eiger since he was teenager, and has quite a bit of experience on what is probably Europe's most iconic big wall. In the post on the Hardwear Sessions, Ueli notes that his gear is 3 kg (6.6 pounds) lighter than it was last year, which helped him to climb faster. He also says his strategy changed from last year, when he had to belay himself three times, but this year he didn't have to belay himself at all. He also reports that he was slowed at the base of the mountain, due to heavy snow in the area, which also cost him energy, but found the upper sections of the mountain, the areas that are more technical in nature, to be dry and easy to climb.

Congrats to Ueli! Another amazing climb. I can't even begin to imagine how someone goes up a challenging face like the Eiger, a climb of more than 4000m, in less than 3 hours. Simply amazing.

The Beckoning Silence Comes To AFF

I received a press release today announcing that the Alpinist Film Festival will host the North American premier of Joe Simpson's The Beckoning Silence which is based on his book by the same name. The film follows Joe Simpson, of Touching The Void fame, as he climbs the North Face of the Eiger, and recounts the tragic 1936 expedition on the same mountain.

The film debuted on the BBC in the U.K. back in October, to critical acclaim. It'll make it's debut at the film festival on January 19th, at the end of "Stone Night", and will be in contention for the People's Choice Award. The film has already won the Best Mountaineering Film at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival and a Special Jury Award at the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

The Alpinist Film Festival runs from January 17-20 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Each day of the festival is broken into the themes "snow", "surf", and "stone". Films will be shown at the Teton Village Walk Festival from the 17-19, with the People's Choice nominees being shown on the 20th.

This is great news for anyone here in the States who was hoping to see this film. With any luck, after the film festival is over, the film will get picked up for distribution either theatrically or for broadcast on television. For those going to the festival, reviews would be appreciated, while the rest of us wait for an opportunity to see it ourselves.

Best Hike Brings Us More From Banff!

As I mentioned in a post earlier today, Rick McCharles from BestHike.com and the always well done Best Hike Blog, has been spending the past week at the Banff Film Festival. He's made a couple of posts on what he's seen there that I thought you might find interesting.

First, he posted a list of award winning films from the festival with some very interesting titles getting a nod, including 20 Seconds of Joy that I mentioned earlier, as well as Into The WIld which we've discussed at length here already. The Grand Prize Winner was Death On Nanga Parbat, a film about the tragic death of Reinhold Messner's brother back in 1970, and the controversy that has swirled around Messner since.

There really are some films that sound very interesting on that list. Fortunately, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour will be coming to my area next April, and hopefully I can catch one or two of these films. Be sure to check the schedule to find out when it's in your neighborhood.

The other posting that Rick made was a review of Joe Simpson's The Beckoning Silence, another film I've mentioned more than once on the blog recently. The film is based on Simpson's book of the same name which recounts a tragic climb on the Eiger back in 1936, mixed in with Joe's own tales of facing that great wall. Rick sums up his thoughts on the films quite simply:

"The Beckoning Silence is excellent. It’s a must see for anyone interested in the history of mountaineering."

Pretty high praise indeed. I'll definitely have to add this to my list of movies to see soon. Especially, as one of Rick's commenters notes, there is a *ahem* torrent already available.

Thanks for the reviews and thought Rick!

Friday Matinee: The Eiger Edition

The gang over at OutdoorsMagic.com have put together a nice collection of videos for this weeks Friday Matinee. The subject this time out is The Eiger, everyone's favorite big wall in Europe that is back in the news thanks to Joe Simpson's film The Beckoning Silence being shown on the BBC recently.

There are a number of cool videos, from YouTube once again of course, on the page. You'll find climbing on The Eiger of course, and BASE jumping back off of it. They've even found the trailer to the IMAX film that is the companion to John Harlin's The Eiger Obsession which I highly recommend by the way.

We're all videos all the time today. Be sure to pop some popcorn!