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Timeline Of Climbing The Eiger
The recorded history of climbing of the Eiger mountain in Switzerland starts in the 1800s. It is split between the Eiger pre-north face era, when the main summits and easier ridges and faces were climbed, and the post-north face era, when it became one of the greatest prizes in mountaineering. At least sixty-four climbers have died while attempting the ascent (mainly via the north face). First ascents (pre-north face era) * 1857: First attempt by Christian Almer, Christian Kaufmann, Ulrich Kaufmann guiding the Viennese alpinist Sigismund Porges. They did manage the first ascent of neighboring Mönch.Daniel Anker and Rainer RettnerChronology of the Eiger from 1252 to 2013/ref> * 1858 (11 August): First ascent, by the west flank (Christian Almer and Peter Bohren guiding Charles Barrington (mountaineer), Charles Barrington). According to Harrer's "The White Spider," Barrington would have attempted the first Matterhorn ascent instead, but his finances did not allow him to travel ther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eiger
The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at , constituting one of the most emblematic sights of the Swiss Alps. While the northern side of the mountain rises more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above the two valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, the southern side faces the large glaciers of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, the most glaciated region in the Alps. The most notable feature of the Eiger is its nearly north face of rock and ice, named ''Eiger-Nordwand'', ''Eigerwand'' or just ''Nordwand'', which is the biggest north face in the Alps. This huge face towers over the resort of Kleine Scheidegg at its base, on the eponymous pass connecting the two valleys. The first ascent of the Eiger was made by Swiss guides Christian Almer a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fritz Steuri
Fritz Steuri (born 25 July 1879 in Grindelwald, Switzerland, died 5 September 1950 in Grindelwald, Switzerland) was a Swiss mountain climber and Nordic and alpine skier. He was a three-time Swiss champion in cross-country skiing. In 1921, he took part in the first ascent of the Mittellegigrat (the northeast ridge of the Eiger). Skier Fritz Steuri came into contact with skiing in the early 1890s when he saw the Englishman Gerald Fox (who lived at Tone Dale House) skiing in Grindelwald. In 1898, he bought his first pair of skis from a Grindelwald manufactory. The first ski race was held in Grindelwald before the turn of the century, in which Steuri, who pursued regular ski training, took part with other locals. Even in his job as a postman, which he held from 1899 until he became a mountain guide, he rendered valuable services to skiing.''Der Sommer- und Winterkurort'' (Rubi), pp. 83, 149. In 1902, he was among the founding members of the Grindelwald Ski Club.''Der Sommer- und ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ludwig Vörg
Ludwig 'Wiggerl' Vörg (19 October 1911 – 22 June 1941) was a notable German mountaineer. With Heinrich Harrer, Fritz Kasparek, and Anderl Heckmair, he successfully climbed the north face of the Eiger in 1938, which was regarded as unclimbable at the time. He also made the first ascent of the West Face of Ushba in the Caucasus. Vörg was killed in action on the first day of Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. The 'Bivouac King' Prior to attempting to climb the north face of the Eiger, Vörg had been the first person to climb the west face of Ushba in the Caucasus. It was during this climb on the 7000 ft high ice face that Vörg earned his nickname from his fellow climbers. 1937 on the Eiger Vörg and Matthias Rebitsch were planning an attempt of the North Face in 1937 when news came that two Austrian climbers, Franz Primas and Bertl Gollackner, were stuck high on the North East face in ferocious conditions. Vörg and R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fritz Kasparek
Fritz Kasparek (3 July 1910 – 6 June 1954) was an Austrian mountaineer who was on the team that made the first successful ascent of the Eiger north face. Kasparek gained his first alpine experiences on the ''Peilstein'' in the Wienerwald and in the Ennstaler Alps. After Emilio Comici had been the first to climb the north face of the Cima Grande of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in 1933, in February 1938 Kasparek and Sepp Brunnhuber made the first winter ascent. On 24 July 1938, with Anderl Heckmair, Ludwig Vörg and Heinrich Harrer, he made the first ascent of the north face of the Eiger. This climb, previously deemed impossible and described by Reinhold Messner as "a glorious moment in the history of mountaineering and a great sensation, since several climbers had previously perished on the face", made headlines around the world [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heinrich Harrer
Heinrich Harrer (; 6 July 1912 – 7 January 2006) was an Austrian mountaineer, sportsman, geographer, '' Oberscharführer'' in the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS), and author. He was a member of the four-man climbing team that made the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, the "last problem" of the Alps. He wrote the books ''Seven Years in Tibet'' (1952) and '' The White Spider'' (1959). Early life Heinrich Harrer was born 6 July 1912 in Hüttenberg, Austria, in the district of Sankt Veit an der Glan in the state of Carinthia. His father, Josef Harrer, was a postal worker. From 1933 to 1938, Harrer studied geography and sports at the Karl-Franzens University in Graz. Harrer became a member of the traditional student corporation ATV Graz. In 1935, Harrer was designated to participate in the Alpine skiing competition at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Austrian Alpine skiing team, however, boycotted the event due to a conflict regarding the skiing inst ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anderl Heckmair
Andreas "Anderl" Heckmair (12 October 1906 – 1 February 2005) was a German mountain climber and guide who led the first successful ascent of the Eiger north face in July 1938. Eiger first ascent The most experienced mountaineer in a group consisting of himself, Ludwig Vörg, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek, Heckmair led the most difficult pitches in the ascent, aided by the extensive kit (including new 12-point crampons) that he and Vörg had purchased using sponsors' money. He ran into several problems on the North Face of the Eiger, including a slip while climbing out of the exit cracks; Ludwig Vörg caught him by his feet, piercing his hand on Heckmair's crampons as he did so. The success brought Heckmair fame throughout the world, particularly in his native Germany. The reception included an audience with Adolf Hitler (whom Heckmair had met before after working with Leni Riefenstahl). Although the Nazis used his achievement for propaganda Anderl shunned the public ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1936 Eiger Climbing Disaster
In July 1936, five climbers died while attempting to ascend the north face of the Eiger mountain in Switzerland. Background After a deadly and unsuccessful German attempt in 1935, ten climbers from Austria and Germany travelled to the still-unclimbed north face of the Eiger in 1936, but, before serious summit attempts could get underway, one climber was killed during a training climb. The weather was so bad that after waiting for a change and seeing none on the way, several climbers gave up. Only four remained: two Bavarians, Andreas Hinterstoisser and Toni Kurz, and two Austrians, Willy Angerer and Edi Rainer. Ascent and retreat The weather improved and they made preliminary explorations of the lowest part of the face. Hinterstoisser fell but was not injured. A few days later the four men began ascending the north face. They climbed quickly, but on the second day, the weather changed; clouds came down and allowed observers on the ground only intermittent visibility to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eduard Rainer
Eduard Rainer (1914 – 21 July 1936) was an Austrian mountaineer. He was one of the four climbers who died in the 1936 Eiger north face climbing disaster, along with Toni Kurz, Andreas Hinterstoisser and Willy Angerer. Reconnoiter The two Austrians, Rainer and Angerer, knew that the German duo, Max Sedlmayer and Karl Mehringer had spent a long time on the First Band during their fatal attempt in 1935. On 6 July 1936 Rainer and Angerer ventured out and decided to search for a line that would bring them to the Rote Fluh from where they intended to reach the First Icefield. They retreated because of the wet icy conditions. Eiger north face climb On 18 July 1936 Eduard Rainer and his friend Willy Angerer commenced their attempt on the north face of the Eiger, which was then one of the last great Alpine north faces remaining to be conquered. At almost the same time the German mountaineers, Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser, were making the same attempt. The German pair were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willy Angerer
Willy Angerer (c. 1905 – 21 July 1936) was an Austrian mountaineer. He was one of four mountaineers who died in the 1936 Eiger north face climbing disaster, along with Toni Kurz, Andreas Hinterstoisser and Eduard Rainer. At thirty-one Angerer was the oldest of the four climbers who died. Background The north-face of the Eiger was considered to be the ''last great Alpine problem'' in the 1930s. In the summer of 1935 two Bavarian climbers died attempting the climb despite a rescue attempt. Four climbers, two Austrians and two Germans, arrived in Alpiglen, a settlement of Grindelwald, in July 1936, intending to climb independently. The climb The two Austrians, Angerer and Rainer, reconnoitered the route for a good line on 6 July because the previous attempt by Karl Mehringer and Max Sedlmeyer had taken two days to climb the first 700 meters and their conditions were not good, so retreated. On 18 July Angerer and Rainer returned to the mountain to restart their attempt. A rock ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toni Kurz
Toni Kurz (13 January 1913 – 22 July 1936) was a German mountain climber active in the 1930s. He died in 1936 during an attempt to climb the then-unclimbed north face of the Eiger with his partner Andreas Hinterstoisser. Biography Toni Kurz was born on 13 January 1913 in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany, where he was raised. He completed a brief apprenticeship as a pipefitter before joining the German '' Wehrmacht'' in 1934 as a professional soldier. Together with his childhood friend Andreas Hinterstoisser, he made numerous first ascents of peaks in the Berchtesgaden Alps, including some of the most difficult climbs of that time. The two young men climbed the southwest wall of the Berchtesgadener Hochthron in 1934, and the south wall of the straight pillar in 1936. They also made first ascents in the Reiter Alpe on the German–Austrian border, and of the direct southern route up the Watzmannkinder, part of the Watzmann, in 1935. In July 1936, Kurz and Hinterstoisser le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andreas Hinterstoisser
Andreas Hinterstoisser (3 October 1914 – 21 July 1936) was a German mountain climber active in the 1930s. He died during an attempt to climb the Eiger north face with his partner Toni Kurz. A section of the north face was later named the "Hinterstoisser Traverse" in his honor. The 2008 film ''North Face'' was based on his experience climbing the Eiger. Biography Andreas Hinterstoisser was born on 3 October 1914 in Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria, Germany, where he was raised. He worked in a bank before joining the German ''Wehrmacht'' as a professional soldier in 1935. Together with his childhood friend Toni Kurz, he made numerous first ascents of peaks in the Berchtesgaden Alps, including some of the most difficult climbs of that time. The two young men climbed the southwest wall of the Berchtesgadener Hochthron in 1934, and the south wall of the straight pillar in 1936. They also made first ascents in the Reiter Alpe on the German–Austrian border, and of the direct southern route ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karl Mehringer
The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at , constituting one of the most emblematic sights of the Swiss Alps. While the northern side of the mountain rises more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above the two valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, the southern side faces the large glaciers of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, the most glaciated region in the Alps. The most notable feature of the Eiger is its nearly north face of rock and ice, named ''Eiger-Nordwand'', ''Eigerwand'' or just ''Nordwand'', which is the biggest north face in the Alps. This huge face towers over the resort of Kleine Scheidegg at its base, on the eponymous pass connecting the two valleys. The first ascent of the Eiger was made by Swiss guides Christian Almer and Peter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
