eiger at sunset
Eiger
Mountain
“The Eiger is a 3,970 metres (13,020 ft)
mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a
ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m. The northern side of the
mountain rises about 3,000 m (9,800 ft) above Grindelwald and
other inhabited valleys of the Bernese Oberland, and the southern side faces
the deeply glaciated region of the Jungfrau-Aletsch, covered by some of the
largest glaciers in the Alps.
The
first ascent of the Eiger was made by Swiss guides Christian Almer and Peter Bohren and Irishman Charles
Barrington, who climbed the west flank on August 11, 1858. The north
face, 1,800 m (5,900 ft) (German: Nordwand, "north wall"), was first
climbed in 1938 by an Austrian-German expedition and is one of the six great north
faces of the Alps”
Cassi Creek: The Eiger north face was at one time
considered the most difficult climbing problem in Europe. It has racked up a long list of climbers who
felt that they could conquer the mountain, but who failed the test and paid for
their miscalculation with their lives. . “Since 1935, at least sixty-four climbers have
died attempting the north face, earning it the German nickname Mordwand, literally "murder(ous) wall" - a pun
on its correct title of Nordwand (North Wall.
Today, CBS’s “The
Amazing Race” is going to put its contestants onto the Eiger Nordwand While the equipment used to protect climbers
today is a quantum level above that of
the 30’s or even the 60’s, the absolute difficulty of the various Eiger routes has not decreased. The Eiger is not a playground or test of
courage for non-experienced or poorly experienced amateur climbers. I’m
rather horrified that CBS would put amateurs onto the Eiger North Wall. There must have been some incredibly thick
waivers signed for this season.
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Below: Eiger Nordwand
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