The Eiger () is part of the Bernese Alps in Switzerland, and its north face (one of the great north faces of the Alps) rises over 1,800 meters (5,900 ft). With alpine climbing routes that are up to four kilometers long, the face hosts some of the Alps' longest and most demanding climbing routes, with significant risks from rockfall and avalanches. The wall gained fame through dramatic climbing attempts and ascents, heightened by its visibility from Grindelwald and, even more clearly, from the Wengernalp Railway-accessible Kleine Scheidegg.
In a 1935 climbing attempt, Max Sedlmayr and Karl Mehringer perished. In the 1936 attempt, all four climbers from two Austrian and German teams died: the first team consisted of Germans Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser, and the second included Willy Angerer and Edi Rainer. In 1938, a four-man team of Anderl Heckmair, Heinrich Harrer, Ludwig Vörg, and Fritz Kasparek achieved the first ascent. Early ascents during the Nazi era faced criticism due to their political associations and the then-novel climbing style, which was not yet established in the Western Alps.
Today, over 30 interconnected routes traverse the face, some requiring mastery of the highly challenging UIAA X grade of difficulty. Leading alpinists can climb the face in a few hours under favorable weather conditions. Since November 2015, the speed record for the Heckmair Route has been held by Swiss extreme alpinist Ueli Steck at 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 50 second, where as the first ascent in 1938 took over three days.
Location and surroundings
The Eiger rises southwest of Grindelwald in the Interlaken-Oberhasli District of the Canton of Bern. It is part of the Swiss Alps and the Bernese Alps. The famous north side comprises the Northeast Face and the North Face, which is technically a northwest face, separated by the North Pillar. The Mittellegi Ridge bounds the Northeast Face to the east, while the North Face ends at the West Ridge. At the base of the north side lies the boundary of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area. Within the rock behind the North Face runs part of the Jungfrau Railway's Great Tunnel to the Jungfraujoch. The face includes the viewing gallery of the Eigerwand Station. Like the entire Eiger, the face is composed of limestone from the Helvetic System. The sediments form alternating layers of Schrattenkalk, marl, and shale, dipping 60 to 70 degrees northward. This stratification is visible on the face's exterior.
History ascents The Eiger-Nordwand has been climbed by many renowned alpinists, including Gaston Rébuffat, Hermann Buhl, Kurt Diemberger, and Reinhold Messner. It earned the nickname Mordwand ("Murder Wall") in the mid-1930s after two fatal climbing attempts. Over 70 climbers have died on or around the face, with many others requiring extensive rescue efforts. Two climbers remain missing, and for one, it is uncertain if he even entered the face, as only his tent was found at its base.
Background
A British climber, A. W. Moore, wrote in his 1864 book about the Eiger-Nordwand:
Among alpinists, the term "Nordwand" is often associated with exceptional difficulties and dangers. In the Alps, steep faces with northern exposure tend to have more significant glaciation. The lack of sunlight delays the melting of ice after a weather front. On faces like the Eiger-Nordwand, fresh snow triggers avalanches even with relatively small accumulations due to the steepness. The face was considered one of the Alps' "last problems," especially after successful ascents of other north faces like the Matterhorn and Grandes Jorasses. Its concave structure can amplify storms, with temperatures dropping to −40 °C, even in clear weather. During a typical northwest cold front, the Eiger's north side is the first major obstacle, intensifying weather effects.
Advancements in climbing equipment significantly contributed to the feasibility of climbing the Eiger-Nordwand. Crampons with up to ten points were used since the mid-19th century, but twelve-point models, available from 1938, enabled climbs on steep ice, eliminating the need for energy-intensive step-cutting. However, these were expensive at the time. Since 1911, climbing ropes, pitons, and carabiners enabled safety standards through fixed points, making difficult faces climbable. Despite these improvements, climbing remained dangerous; ropes tied around the body without a climbing harness often caused severe internal injuries during falls.
Attempts and first ascent
The earliest recorded ambition to climb the face is attributed to Ramsau guide Johann Grill. In 1883, while heading to a Jungfrau traverse with John P. Farrar, he was so captivated by the face that he was barely dissuaded from attempting it. The first recorded climb in the face occurred in 1911, when Grindelwald guide Christen Almer and Zermatt guide Joseph Schaler, with Englishman P. H. Thorp, climbed from Kleine Scheidegg to below the Eigerwand Station, where they were pulled up by a rope.
On August 20, 1932, Swiss climbers and , with guides Josef Knubel from St. Niklaus and Alexander Graven from Zermatt, made the first ascent of the Northeast Face in one day without artificial aids. Heinrich Harrer described this as the last great classical-style first ascent by Switzerland's finest guides. This route, now called the Lauper Route, crosses 55-degree ice fields with climbing difficulties up to V.
The first serious attempt on the Eiger-Nordwand by Munich climbers Max Sedlmayr and Karl Mehringer in August 1935 ended tragically. Choosing a direct route, they reached the second ice field on the second day but were caught in a storm. Three days later, they were spotted near the "Flatiron" before disappearing. Rescue attempts failed due to iced rocks and fresh snow. A month later, an airplane crew spotted one of their bodies at the third ice field, now called the "Death Bivouac." Notably, this tragedy was the first observed by spectators with telescopes.
The next attempt in July 1936 involved Andreas Hinterstoisser and Toni Kurz with Willy Angerer and Edi Rainer, climbing as separate two-man teams on a route west of Sedlmayr/Mehringer's. They joined forces after Hinterstoisser pioneered a traverse now named after him. On the second day, they were seen crossing the second ice field before visibility worsened. On the third day, still near the Flatiron, they began descending, with one climber appearing injured. Caught in a storm, they were likely swept away by an avalanche, with only Kurz surviving initially. Rescuers couldn't reach him, and he died overnight while attempting to rappel to them. The recovery of the bodies took until the next summer, when Sedlmayr's body was also found.
Three days after the 1936 tragedy, the Canton of Bern issued a climbing ban on the Eiger-Nordwand, which was legally unenforceable and lifted by November 1936. Alpine rescue stations were relieved of their duty to assist on the face.
In July 1937, Salzburg climbers Bertl Gollackner and Franz Primas entered the Northeast Face to scout the Eiger-Nordwand for a first ascent. Expecting a same-day return, they carried minimal gear. Difficulties, bad weather, and a rope fall forced two nights in the face and on the Mittellegi Ridge. Gollackner died of exhaustion after two more nights, while Primas was rescued 200 meters below the summit.
In August 1937, and Ludwig Vörg climbed several rope lengths above the Death Bivouac but retreated after a storm. This was the first successful retreat from high on the face, aided by a rope left in the Hinterstoisser Traverse.
In June 1938, Italians Mario Menti and Bortolo Sandri died near the Difficult Crack after a thunderstorm, becoming the eighth and ninth victims.
The first ascent was achieved a month later by Anderl Heckmair, Ludwig Vörg, Fritz Kasparek, and Heinrich Harrer. The two teams entered separately; Heckmair and Vörg initially retreated due to weather concerns. On July 22, they re-entered, overtaking Kasparek and Harrer between the second and third ice fields. Benefiting from pre-cut steps and twelve-point crampons (Kasparek had ten-point crampons, Harrer none), Heckmair led. After surviving an avalanche together, the teams united. After two more bivouacs and three days of climbing in poor weather and constant avalanches, they reached the summit at 3:30 a.m. on July 24.
Ascents until 1959
In August 1946, Swiss climbers Edwin Krähenbühl and reached the Ramp Ice Field but retreated due to a storm. The first repeat of the Heckmair Route came in July 1947 by Frenchmen Lionel Terray and Louis Lachenal. The third ascent, by Swiss climbers Karl and Hans Schlunegger with Gottfried Jermann in August 1947, was hampered by a storm above the Ramp Ice Field.
In July 1950, Austrians Leo Forstenlechner and Erich Waschak completed the first one-day ascent of the Eiger-Nordwand in 18 hours, overtaking a Swiss team (Jean Fuchs, Marcel Hamel, Raymond Monney, Robert Seiler), who achieved the fifth ascent a day later.
In summer 1952, a rush on the face saw Frenchmen Maurice Coutin and Pierre Julien achieve the sixth ascent on July 23. Four days later, Austrians Josef Larch and Karl Winter completed the seventh. On July 29, the eighth ascent was made by teams of Hermann Buhl/, Otto Maag/Sepp Maag, and Frenchmen Jean Bruneau, Paul Habran, Pierre Leroux, , and Gaston Rébuffat, who became the first to climb all three great Alpine north faces. The ninth ascent was by Karl Lugmayer, Hans Ratay, and Erich Vanis on August 8, followed by the tenth by Karl Blach and Jürgen Wellenkamp on August 15. Siegfried Jungmaier and Karl Reiss secured the eleventh, attempting a new route between the Death Bivouac and the Spider.
In August 1953, Ueli Wyss and climbed the face, attempting a direct route from the Flatiron to the Spider but died on the summit ice field; they were credited with the twelfth ascent. Five days later, and Erhard Riedl completed the thirteenth.
In August 1957, the "Corti-Drama" involved Italians Claudio Corti and Stefano Longhi, and Germans Günter Nothdurft and Franz Mayer. The Italians climbed east of the standard route and were joined by the Germans at the Hinterstoisser Traverse. Straying from the normal route, they sought a path to the Spider 150 meters above the Götterquergang. Longhi fell and was stranded on a ledge, while Corti, hit by rockfall at the "Corti Bivouac," could not continue. The Germans climbed out to seek help but died during the descent, missing rescuers by hours. Corti was rescued two days later by about 70 alpinists and rescuers from five countries using a steel cable device anchored at the summit ridge—the first successful rescue from the face. Longhi's body was recovered two years later, and Nothdurft and Mayer's bodies were found in September 1961 in the West Flank. They were posthumously credited with the 14th ascent. The first Italian ascent was achieved in August 1962 by Armando Aste's team.
In August 1958, Kurt Diemberger and Wolfgang Stefan completed the 15th ascent. Lukas Albrecht and Adolf Derungs reached the summit as the 16th team in August 1959, followed by Ernst Forrer and Peter Diener in September.
1960 to 1969 From 1960, climbers attempted solo, winter, or new-route ascents. In February 1960, , , and failed a winter first ascent, as did Josef Larch and Karl Frehsner days later.
From March 6–12, 1961, , Toni Kinshofer, and , and achieved the first winter ascent. They climbed to the Stollenloch in February, resuming a week later after a weather break, earning recognition despite not climbing in one push.