The EIGER · Wall of Death

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  • čas přidán 4. 08. 2021
  • BBC explores a history of one of the world's most challenging mountains, the Eiger, and its infamous North Face. The film gets to the heart of one of Europe's most notorious peaks, exploring its character and its impact on the people who climb it and live in its awesome shadow.
    --Sam Wollaston Review--
    Mountains don't get much better than the Eiger with its legendary north face, a near vertical mile of rock and ice, haunted by savage winds and the ghosts of dead climbers. "Every ledge of the Eiger is covered in the sediment of history," says the mountaineer Stephen Venables, who is unusually forthcoming for a climber and has a lovely way with words. He was good on the the BBC's live rock climb in the Outer Hebrides last weekend (five hours of nail-biting drama).
    More than 60 people have died attempting the Eiger's north face. Most agonising was the death of the German Toni Kurz in 1936. Kurz had already seen his three companions perish around him: he'd had to cut them free to try to get himself down alive. When he was within a few feet of a rescue party, all he had to do was detach himself from the rope and he would have fallen to them and been saved. But after a night dangling alone on the rock, he was too exhausted and frostbitten to summon up the energy. "I can't go on," he gasped, and died.
    His would-be rescuers had emerged on to the wall from a door called the Stollenloch, which connects to the railway inside the mountain. That door is an extraordinary thing: it turns the north face of the Eiger into an advent calendar - albeit a one-hit one. To the climbers who have used the Stollenloch as an escape route, it must have felt like Christmas Day. There can be few doors - the one on the wardrobe on the way to Narnia perhaps, and possibly the Pearly Gates - that are so different on either side. On one side is one of the most extreme and terrifying places on earth, once described by the aristocratic British editor of the Alpine Journal as "an obsession for the mentally deranged" and "the most imbecile variant since mountaineering first began"; and on the other side are trainloads of tourists, on their way to see the view.
    Today, mountain guides Kenton Cool and Neil Brodie are going the other way, from inside to out, just to have a look. "Bugger me, this is awesome," says one of them. See what I mean about not all climbers having Stephen Venables's way with words? The only pity about this absorbing chronicle of one of the world's great climbing challenges is that the conditions aren't right for Cool and Brodie. It would have been nice to go up with them, battling through the spindrift and the sediment of history, past the Stollenloch, the Hinterstoisser Traverse, the Flatiron, Death Bivouac, the Traverse of the Gods, the White Spider, and on to the summit. But then perhaps, in these days, when a Swiss wunderkind called Ueli Steck can scale the north face on his own in two hours and 47 minutes, it's quite reassuring that the mountain can still sometimes win.
    #Eiger #ClimbingTheEiger

Komentáře • 1,4K

  • @nenblom
    @nenblom Před rokem +1675

    Who else is totally hooked on these mountaineering documentaries?

  • @spencethegreat38
    @spencethegreat38 Před 2 lety +798

    I live in a 3 story apartment with an extremely tight and steep staircase, I will now refer to it as the Eiger. My dog will tell you some harrowing tales..

    • @emmaphilo4049
      @emmaphilo4049 Před 2 lety +13

      Loollll

    • @jakethepitador2558
      @jakethepitador2558 Před 2 lety +23

      OMG! That staircase is an offense against taste and decency! The constructor had a clear lack of theology and geometry!

    • @martinhuntley5342
      @martinhuntley5342 Před 2 lety +11

      Loving this humor👌

    • @brotherspartacus4751
      @brotherspartacus4751 Před 2 lety +6

      You have no respect. People died. Mother’s and fathers lost their children..families and friends lost their loved one! I pray you never know anything where you fear for your life….

    • @stephenmcdonagh2795
      @stephenmcdonagh2795 Před 2 lety +9

      A guy who says he lives near me has a hard time with the stairs- I keep seeing him in his sleeping bag at base camp. Flat climbing, just like mountaineering, takes a certain amount of stupidity...:)

  • @smudgey1kenobey
    @smudgey1kenobey Před 2 lety +140

    I was taking a botany class at the University of Rhode Island in the 1970s when somebody told me my professor’s husband had been a climber. So I read the book Straight Up that same summer. It was a very different experience learning about this mountain when Marilyn Harlin, John’s widow, was at the blackboard, and I’d just seen her photo at John’s funeral in the alps. I certainly learned how much a biography exposes the family left behind. She was raising their children without him. I’m not passing judgement here. I’m watching this excellent video to gain a larger perspective. But I will say that a climbers responsibility is not only to his climbing partners.

    • @saltpeter7429
      @saltpeter7429 Před 2 lety +17

      Great point. I think about this as well. Read a few books about Willie Unsoeld, "Fatal Mountaineer" being the one I have in hand. It's a real study in value's, prioritization and achievement and family. No easy quick summation, good books keep me chewing on them years later.

    • @janetyamashige9573
      @janetyamashige9573 Před rokem +16

      @Maureen McConnell Completely agree. I believe your statement about responsibility applies to just about anyone who undertakes the higher risk sports/hobbies.

    • @joeljohnston8517
      @joeljohnston8517 Před 11 měsíci

      She probably married him knowing exactly what kind of man he was. People used to understand high risk and high reward. Bravery was beautiful. Today weak people stand on the shoulders of giants and criticize them.

    • @anthonymorales842
      @anthonymorales842 Před 4 měsíci

      Go Rhody an URI alum here I knew Marilyn as well

    • @georgeorwell4534
      @georgeorwell4534 Před 3 měsíci +1

      " But I will say that a climbers responsibility is not only to his climbing partners." -- I agree. I have enormous respect for the courage it takes to tackle these mountains but when someone's future, especially your children, count on you being there to guide them and teach them, then perhaps your vision needs to expand beyond the mountain you're attempting to defeat.

  • @tamaracaldaroni9710
    @tamaracaldaroni9710 Před 2 lety +784

    Dam i love these mountain climbers docs, I can’t climb, don’t want to climb but I’m absolutely fascinated with the courage and determination these brilliant climbers have. Much respect, well done, oh and please keep these amazing docs coming! Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺

    • @gregparrott
      @gregparrott Před 2 lety +6

      Years ago, I read the book 'Touching the Void', an EXTREMELY harrowing, near fatal story. A video recounting & re-enactment on the mountain is narrated by both of the climbers exists....
      czcams.com/video/Ddeq-vRCZ8k/video.html

    • @aglup2630
      @aglup2630 Před 2 lety +8

      So am I. The determination to pursue the impossible is so inspiring. The struggle to survive …

    • @boknows598
      @boknows598 Před 2 lety +2

      How is it in Australia right now? Im hearing very troubling reports @tamara caldaroni

    • @ironman4life89
      @ironman4life89 Před 2 lety +6

      Agreed. I'll climb indoors with a height limit of 15 feet while respecting these mountains from CZcams haha

    • @STR82DVD
      @STR82DVD Před 2 lety +7

      Agreed. I'm not a ghoul interested in climbers plummeting to their deaths. Nope, rather I want to know WHY they do what they do and how they overcome the odds and incredible suffering to succeed or alternately, fail.

  • @doclewis8927
    @doclewis8927 Před rokem +122

    I cringe at the gear that the early mountaineers had compared to those who climb now. Wow. Those guys were beyond crazy to do what they did with their gear. That, in itself, is an achievement.

    • @drats1279
      @drats1279 Před 4 měsíci +1

      "beyond crazy? that remark clearly indicates you know nothing about why and how those adventurous men climbed. People like you will never understand.

    • @taitfreeman9421
      @taitfreeman9421 Před 4 měsíci +15

      ​@@drats1279ok rambo

    • @mikeog2617
      @mikeog2617 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Yeah will never understand stupidity lol

    • @astrumrimor2450
      @astrumrimor2450 Před 4 měsíci

      I can’t believe they didn’t wear more fur from head to toe. So crazy what they wore.

    • @TheMerryPrangster
      @TheMerryPrangster Před 3 měsíci

      ​@@taitfreeman9421 no sure what relevance Rambo has here

  • @tay9843
    @tay9843 Před rokem +22

    Rest in paradise Ueli Steck aka The Swiss Machine. 10/4/1976 - 4/30/2017

  • @jjohnston326
    @jjohnston326 Před 2 lety +86

    I'm 50 this year. I was only 14 when I first gazed upon the Eiger and it has been burned into my memory ever since. There really is something special about this mountain.

    • @daviddavidsonn3578
      @daviddavidsonn3578 Před rokem

      it's a big rock, "special"??, nothing....🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @bentownsend4017
      @bentownsend4017 Před rokem

      What do you find special?

    • @nuclear9977
      @nuclear9977 Před 10 měsíci +2

      @@bentownsend4017the vertical mile of solid rock

    • @annnee6818
      @annnee6818 Před 10 měsíci

      ​@bentownsend4017 the perpetual darkness

    • @khimaros
      @khimaros Před 5 měsíci +7

      @@daviddavidsonn3578 if you’d ever actually seen a mountain like this you’d get it. But you clearly have no idea.

  • @timw7256
    @timw7256 Před 2 lety +21

    That interview with Brian was god awfully heartbreaking

    • @mac1975
      @mac1975 Před 11 měsíci +1

      What happened to Brian. He seemed to have disappeared

  • @jeancolley8908
    @jeancolley8908 Před rokem +156

    I was familar with the earlier failed attempts on the north face, but this video is the first time I've heard the full story of the successful 1938 climb. And frankly, I am just absolutely STUNNED that Harrer climbed after forgetting his crampons. It's one thing to do ice climbing without spikes as a deliberate choice- another entirely to discover at the base of the mountain that you've forgetting critical equipment, and decide to go anyways

  • @DavidThomas-qq4hf
    @DavidThomas-qq4hf Před 2 lety +56

    RIP Euli Steck. Was great to see him again.

  • @vcom2327
    @vcom2327 Před 2 lety +27

    I was in Kleine Scheidegg in 1981..
    I was told to look through the telescope. On the Eiger Nordwand, there were 2 climbers hanging from their ropes, dead for several days. What a shock.

  • @leylag1466
    @leylag1466 Před 2 lety +213

    The Eiger has always fascinated me like the Grand Dame of sheer rocks. Meanwhile I get dizzy on the third step of my ladder.

    • @victorianidetch
      @victorianidetch Před 2 lety +6

      I look at that mountain and think "That's just crazy, what a nightmare of a climb!"

    • @leylag1466
      @leylag1466 Před 2 lety +5

      @@victorianidetch Ueli Steck ( he was called the Swiss Machine ) climbed it in 2 hours and 22 min.

    • @victorianidetch
      @victorianidetch Před 2 lety +3

      @@leylag1466 That is amazing, what a great talent!

    • @madbrad7274
      @madbrad7274 Před 2 lety +2

      @@leylag1466 What a strapping stud

    • @leylag1466
      @leylag1466 Před 2 lety +4

      @@madbrad7274 unfortunately he died on a rather easy part of the Mount Everest.🥲

  • @Subtletext
    @Subtletext Před 2 lety +32

    Ueli Steck did this climb in 2hr 23mins. WHAT A LEGEND!!

    • @newbeginnings8566
      @newbeginnings8566 Před 10 měsíci +4

      Died aged 40....

    • @captaincat1743
      @captaincat1743 Před 4 měsíci +2

      Ueli Steck's record climb is to me one of the greatest athletic achievements in human history.

    • @TheMerryPrangster
      @TheMerryPrangster Před 3 měsíci

      Not really worth dying for.

    • @Subtletext
      @Subtletext Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@TheMerryPrangster true but he didn't...here at least

    • @Subtletext
      @Subtletext Před 3 měsíci

      @@captaincat1743 agreed

  • @jvowen6555
    @jvowen6555 Před 10 měsíci +20

    I visited the Eiger in 1996. I had never heard of it before the day I arrived there, but have sure learned to respect the pioneering climbers who challenged it in the 1930s. My travelling buddy, a Czech fellow, tried to impress on me the epic battles they waged, but only these videos really capture it all for me. I found it somewhat surreal that people could watch climbers risking their lives from the comfort of a hotel. To each his/her own, I guess.

  • @Chuckbobuck201
    @Chuckbobuck201 Před 2 lety +162

    Having traveled there in 2018 (during the summer ) was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to visit one of the most stunning and beautiful places on earth. Was almost unbelievable to see the beauty of the place!

    • @rossilake218
      @rossilake218 Před 2 lety +3

      I want to go!

    • @trueman2467
      @trueman2467 Před 2 lety +3

      👍 an avid lover of nature you seem. If it's unbelievable for you, go visit karakurams and passu cones. You ll love it forever.

    • @LieseLotte471
      @LieseLotte471 Před 9 měsíci +1

      It seems like the prettiest mountain to me! I have seen many of these documentaries but none of the mountains ever look distinct or special to me. This one does! Not the biggest or anything but sure the prettiest 😄

  • @smoothmicra
    @smoothmicra Před 2 lety +12

    Did I hear the young Bonnington say "we aren't risking our necks, this is a calculated studied route" and the old Bonnington say "the ropes we were using were miles too thin, it was only a matter of time before one of them snapped"? Yep, sounds like risking your neck.

  • @gammaraygem
    @gammaraygem Před 2 lety +127

    I never climbed a mountain and never will. But I love watching documentaries like this, and as a kid (born in 1952) I used to read about these epic climbs.
    What I never understood though, in the case of the Eiger, is why, where , how, was there a railway track way up there???

    • @robertparsons558
      @robertparsons558 Před 2 lety +12

      See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungfrau_Railway I have visited many times and hope to return again. 50 years ago it was an experience, now it's another tourist attraction and can be very crowded..

    • @gammaraygem
      @gammaraygem Před 2 lety +3

      @@robertparsons558 Amazing! Thanks!

    • @shirleymason7697
      @shirleymason7697 Před 2 lety +3

      For the resort there facing Eiger.

    • @christiansargent6053
      @christiansargent6053 Před 2 lety

      Why?

    • @koda90
      @koda90 Před 2 lety +17

      it's in switzerland, lol. we have railways everywhere

  • @lburns7952
    @lburns7952 Před 2 lety +24

    It was considered 'bad form' to die on the mountain. Totally British! Gotta love it.

  • @silverpantsblue.1780
    @silverpantsblue.1780 Před 2 lety +13

    i saw the thumbnail of this and couldnt think of anything but - The Eiger Sanction

  • @bepowerification
    @bepowerification Před rokem +30

    How the heck did Steck climb this in 2 hours 47 minutes? Thats insane

    • @Glenn-em3hv
      @Glenn-em3hv Před 10 měsíci +2

      I heard of people climbing Everest in hours without oxygen???
      I don't know if it's true but anyone that can climb like that is a super man!!!

    • @ngrg15
      @ngrg15 Před 10 měsíci +5

      ​@@Glenn-em3hvhe already had speed record of 4 hrs (approx) on eiger and he broke his own record later which was this. He was really fast but unfortunately died in 2017 in nepal during everest climbing from a different route.

  • @carrueross2705
    @carrueross2705 Před 2 lety +29

    I always flashback to the Eastwood movie when I hear the word Eiger. Amazing world in which we live!

    • @bookaufman9643
      @bookaufman9643 Před 2 lety +5

      Alex Honnold says that the Eiger Sanction is the most realistic climbing movie of all

    • @floydvaughn836
      @floydvaughn836 Před 2 lety +3

      @@bookaufman9643 the training scenes are worth the popcorn. Talk about motivation!

  • @mowana1232
    @mowana1232 Před 2 lety +25

    I visited Kleine Scheidegg about 20 years ago. It is one of these magical places, you won't forget. Films can't quite capture the grandeur and sheer size of the Nordwand. When we were there, there were climbers doing an ascent. Their tiny, moving specks translated the Nordwand to human scale for us. Humans = tiny ants, Eiger = mother nature.

  • @TheOracle65
    @TheOracle65 Před 10 dny

    I’ve stayed in Grindlewald in the summer a few years ago, and seeing the north face for the first time is truly awe-inspiring. The thought of climbing that vertical face seems absolute madness, but having watched a number of these mountaineering documentaries I can also see the fatal attraction of it.

  • @mrkipling2201
    @mrkipling2201 Před 7 měsíci +4

    I've climbed Snowden and even Mt Blanc as a teenager, 15 years old to be precise, but I wouldn't have tried anything else. For some reason, I started to suffer with bad vertigo in my late 20's, so these documentaries are my climbing experience now!!!

  • @juliannaorgane4919
    @juliannaorgane4919 Před 10 měsíci +13

    I used to do high mountain hiking when I was young. I never climbed but I have always been fascinated by the mountaineering heroes.

  • @ip2862
    @ip2862 Před 2 lety +61

    Sedlmayr and Mehringer were not found at the Death Bivouac. The body of Max Sedlmayr was found at the foot of the face the following year [1936] by his brother Heinrich and Martin Meier; they were among a team from Munich who were looking for the bodies of the victims of the Toni Kurz tragedy. The remains of Karl Mehringer were found in 1962 by Swiss climbers below the Flatiron at the lefthand end of the Second Icefield.

    • @Sunset553
      @Sunset553 Před rokem +1

      I was wondering about the climbers who died on the face. I hope all were recovered, but it’s tragic having to prepare a trip to find someone you love. This video was my introduction to climbing the Eiger north face. It’s terribly sad.

  • @ashleybrown4754
    @ashleybrown4754 Před 2 lety +30

    I can't even climb out of bed in the morning.

    • @kRomani-gh4ws
      @kRomani-gh4ws Před 10 měsíci

      💊💊💊💊💊

    • @handduggraverdronline
      @handduggraverdronline Před 7 měsíci

      Most kids these days have the same problem

    • @veganbutcherhackepeter
      @veganbutcherhackepeter Před 15 dny

      ​​@@handduggraverdronline And so did you when you were a teenager. You know, hormones...
      I'm really tired of this 'back in the day we ate nails for breakfast and walked 20 miles to school uphill' BS.

  • @DannyClarkeVlog
    @DannyClarkeVlog Před rokem +12

    Liked and subscribed. I am writing this in a hostel that overlooks the Eiger. After watching a different documentary many years ago, I have always dreamed about coming here to Grindelwald and seeing it in person. It is even more beautiful in person. And.... there is another mountain right next to it that is just as beautiful. Just incredible. What a beautiful world we live in.

    • @Glenn-em3hv
      @Glenn-em3hv Před 10 měsíci +1

      You wonder why the other mountain isn't just as popular???

    • @engegiger
      @engegiger Před 16 dny

      Greetings from Switzerland 🥰

  • @akseli9
    @akseli9 Před 2 lety +14

    First woman (1992) Catherine Destivelle. Soloed Heckmair route on sight in 17 hours. Almost entirely without protection.

  • @Craftybierfrau
    @Craftybierfrau Před 2 lety +37

    I skydived in the area looking at the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfräu, such a great experience. Love Grindelwald. Great to live in Switzerland

    • @antidoteforlife9460
      @antidoteforlife9460 Před 2 lety +2

      Your a boss

    • @cathycharron-folsom4504
      @cathycharron-folsom4504 Před 2 lety +2

      I lived a couple months every year in Wegen and have been on railroad inside Eiger. Hiked all local peaks and slipped once and started falling straight down a 7000 foot stretch (verticle). There were fallen trees because of previous avalanches. I managed to catch tree, but most of my clothes ripped off. Still had backpack and walking poles were on wrists. I was so scared and it was difficult to get off this vertical terrain. I had extra clothes. I was very careful and did not get on deer trail. Also let my landlord know which peak I would be climbing and when I would return.

  • @garlandremingtoniii1338
    @garlandremingtoniii1338 Před 2 lety +86

    2015 (23 July): A team of British Para-Climbers reached the summit via the West Flank Route. The team included John Churcher, the world's first blind climber to summit the Eiger, sight guided by the team leader Mark McGowan. Colin Gourlay enabled the ascent of other team members, including Al Taylor who has multiple sclerosis, and the young autistic climber Jamie Owen from North Wales. The ascent was filmed by the adventure filmmakers Euan Ryan & Willis Morris of Finalcrux Films.

    • @riverdeep399
      @riverdeep399 Před 2 lety +8

      That is truly inspirational. Thank you for sharing that information. :)

    • @Glenn-em3hv
      @Glenn-em3hv Před 10 měsíci +1

      Now that's just unbelievable that someone who's blind would do that!!!
      Very special person!

  • @akseli9
    @akseli9 Před 2 lety +27

    One of the best films about the North Face of the Eiger is "The Beckoning Silence" by Louise Osmond/Joe Simpson.
    Another great film is "Eiger" (Stéphane Deplus), about the first ascent by a woman, Catherine Destivelle on March 9, 1992.

  • @ExxylcrothEagle
    @ExxylcrothEagle Před rokem +13

    Wall of Death is an amazing book. Whole history from heckmair to Harlin

  • @davidmclachlan6592
    @davidmclachlan6592 Před 2 lety +105

    I've stood at the bottom of the Eiger 'wall of death' and looked up, it's awesomely scary .

    • @davebetch9918
      @davebetch9918 Před 2 lety +8

      I've been on it twice in the winter but never got very far. One day,..one day....

    • @deadprivacy
      @deadprivacy Před 2 lety +8

      @@davebetch9918 that seems to be the trick, all these deaths from people getting trapped in the weather - young la just runs up it before the wind even changes direction, pick a nice day , get really fit, woosh,,,at the top by lunchtime he said.

    • @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368
      @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 Před 2 lety +3

      6:05 When looking at the Eiger in profile, it reminds me of the Sphinx at the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

    • @stephenmcdonagh2795
      @stephenmcdonagh2795 Před 2 lety +1

      Does it really overhang or is that an illusion? It's hard to tell looking at pictures and documentaries.

    • @davidmclachlan6592
      @davidmclachlan6592 Před 2 lety +2

      @@stephenmcdonagh2795 yes it does overhang, looking at it from some angles it appears slightly concaved.

  • @lesflynn4455
    @lesflynn4455 Před 2 lety +72

    This was a great watch. A fabulous documentary. Thank you for posting. Those pioneering climbers in the 30s and even in the 60s had such an adventurous spirit.

  • @biologychic7292
    @biologychic7292 Před 2 lety +89

    “A vertical mile of brittle blasted limestone, hanging ice, and howling winds.”
    Me: 😳 nope, no thank you.

  • @navidhendrix
    @navidhendrix Před 2 lety +7

    First thing I noticed was what the Composer did at 0:33. The emphasis on the 'shut' part of the interview with the drums. It wasn't random. It was played on the '1' part of the 4/4. Well done Composer .... well done.

  • @paddlefaster
    @paddlefaster Před 2 lety +47

    I'll never forget taking the train to the top of the Eiger. They stopped at several of the windows so you could look out at the face. I can't imagine having the cojones to climb it.

    • @margaritaisabelcabrera6491
      @margaritaisabelcabrera6491 Před 2 lety +3

      I did the same 20 years ago

    • @antidoteforlife9460
      @antidoteforlife9460 Před 2 lety +4

      A train to the top?

    • @paddlefaster
      @paddlefaster Před 2 lety +4

      @@antidoteforlife9460 yes. It runs inside the eiger to an observation deck overlooking a glacier behind the jungfrau.

    • @One-Ring-To-Rule-Them-All
      @One-Ring-To-Rule-Them-All Před 2 lety +4

      There is no train to the top of the Eiger. You still have to be a mountain climber to reach the top (luckily). The train goes to the glacier between Mönch and Jungfrau but runs through the (poor) Eiger...

    • @paddlefaster
      @paddlefaster Před rokem +3

      @@One-Ring-To-Rule-Them-All pardon my mistake. It takes you really close to the top of the Eiger. And it does run through it.

  • @rmarriott2
    @rmarriott2 Před 2 lety +8

    "There's a wonderful photo of the four of them and you can just see that... that radiant glow of fulfillment and happiness [and frostbite] on their faces. It's a wonderful picture..."
    "Frostbite". He forgot that you can see frostbite on their faces! @33:06

  • @Tom-mo2dr
    @Tom-mo2dr Před 2 měsíci +1

    If you watched the ' Eiger Sanction ' with Clint Eastwood they reinacted the dangling rescue attempt ! It was spectacular , in the movie they rescued him . Great documentary gentleman . Well done .

  • @catlinferris5970
    @catlinferris5970 Před 2 lety +25

    I didnt learn about steck till this year, he was going to be revolutionary and unfortunately he is no longer with us. But that's style ge climbed in, is the razors edge. Rest in peace to the men and women who push.

  • @nongthip
    @nongthip Před rokem +7

    When I lived in Germany (with German girlfriend) I used to drive down to Switzerland many times for mountain biking in summer and skiing/boarding in winter. The primary destination was usually Interlaken which I first visited in 1988 and became my go-to place far many years after. But to get into the big mountains meant going to Grindelwald which is the base for many famous mountains with ski lifts, cable cars and bicycle paths. The classic view is Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, and many more to the east and west (Wetterhorn, Schilthorn, etc.). There is a tunnel railway called the Jungfraujoch which goes up to the "Top of Europe" which I've done a few times and the views up there (3,454 m/11,332 ft) are spectacular, although it can be quite crowded with other tourists. Part of the way up the tunnel train stops and you can go to a "window" which looks out of the Eiger north face and shows just how vertically steep and dangerous it is. I could and would not climb it myself, but it is one of the world's go-to places for mountain scenery. Oh yeah, bring your fat wallet, as it is expensive.

    • @chazzbranigaan9354
      @chazzbranigaan9354 Před 8 měsíci

      It's really not that expensive, I am in interlaken now and have heard many say switzerland is so expensive, are you guys from Thailand or something? Switzerland is cheaper than most major cities in the US.

    • @TheMerryPrangster
      @TheMerryPrangster Před 3 měsíci

      Yeah I heard it was massively overpriced.

    • @engegiger
      @engegiger Před 16 dny

      I live here and find it expensive, Mt Pilatus has a gorgeous view, reached by cogwheel on 1 side, by cablecar on other side. It's in Lucern.

  • @maasaigeordie
    @maasaigeordie Před 7 měsíci +2

    I'm not even a climber, but I've watched this documentary 5 times. I love it.

  • @eckhal2
    @eckhal2 Před 2 lety +20

    Was there in Feb - 1997 (not a climber) awesome area go their if you can, as my Swiss friends stated you will always remember it, respect to the climbers.🇺🇸

  • @DonLee1980
    @DonLee1980 Před 2 lety +30

    why is it that every story of a group of climbers trying to save one climber always ends in terrible tragedy with the whole group. so sad

    • @OvelNick
      @OvelNick Před 2 lety +8

      It's the promise made. For every story like that there are stories of climbers saved that you don't hear about. Someone is fuked... You do what you can to unfuk them.

    • @Quicksilver_Cookie
      @Quicksilver_Cookie Před rokem +3

      Actually this is one of the reasons why these days in high altitude climbing you often hear about people being "abandoned", or left to die. Through generations of climbers many have come to a conclusion that rescue at such high altitudes may be futile, and endangering more people than it's worth. Obviously, it's not always the case. And it sounds callous. But that's the reality, and most accept it when they decide to climb. You most often see this in absolute top altitude climbs of over 8000 meters, where a lot of the time somebody who is still alive will be seemingly abandoned by their group. But if you are incapacitated at that altitude and can't walk - rescue is almost certain impossibility. Will depend on a mountain, of course. And I've seen people say "well, why don't just fly a helicopter and rescue", to which there's a simple answer - even highest performing helicopters won't be able to hover at anything above 3000, maybe 3500 meters at best of conditions.

    • @engegiger
      @engegiger Před 16 dny

      @@Quicksilver_Cookie Like poor Toni Kurz. They tried so hard to save him. Tried to reach him from tunnel window closest to him. There was absolutely nothing they could do for him. So gut wrenching.

  • @towerdave4836
    @towerdave4836 Před 2 lety +3

    Camped under the face in 2018 and spent hours gazing at the spindrift cascading down the face. Magical place.

  • @ahmettatar2825
    @ahmettatar2825 Před 5 měsíci +2

    I have been mountaineering for about 45 years. I climb in Uludag and Aladaglar mountains just as a hobby. But this documentary is great and I am very excited, congratulations

  • @losmosquitos1108
    @losmosquitos1108 Před 2 lety +9

    22:12 The historian talking about Kurz‘s death gave me the willies. Anyone noticed his diabolic laughter when he said: “Toni Kurz. It was perfect…“? 🙄

    • @brandonsexton9017
      @brandonsexton9017 Před 11 měsíci

      I thought that was pretty messed up too. I know he was probably meaning perfect drama for the media, but still the way he said it made him come across as a complete POS.

  • @corkycobon1481
    @corkycobon1481 Před 2 lety +88

    The whole of the Alps are beautiful but there is something that has always seemed ominous about The Eiger. It is a beautiful piece of rock but I do not feel the need to climb it.

    • @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368
      @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 Před 2 lety +1

      That's because your name isn't Kenton Cool and you don't have an earring like him.

    • @quantumpotential7639
      @quantumpotential7639 Před 2 lety +1

      Well, please reconsider as the mountain is thirsty for great adventure men, and you could appear at the top .. VICTORIOUS.
      Well, think about it as your fine efforts might change the equation and the mountain no doubt would appreciate your presence.
      Thanks

    • @stephenburnage7687
      @stephenburnage7687 Před 2 lety +5

      I think it is just the north wall. The mountain itself is a moderate climb if approached by some of the other routes.

    • @MrLjpadk11
      @MrLjpadk11 Před 2 lety

      Why do alot of Brits have dreadful teeth?

    • @augustwest5273
      @augustwest5273 Před 2 lety

      @@MrLjpadk11 😆

  • @scottpitner4298
    @scottpitner4298 Před 2 lety +15

    It’s like theater. That’s really fascinating as one can just watch it unfold

  • @cherrypickerguitars
    @cherrypickerguitars Před rokem +1

    I’m a first gen Brit emigrant,raised in Canada. Conceived in England, but born in 1958 in Canada, after my parents immigrated on the Empress of France. Chris Bonington is THE pre-eminent mountaineer of my generation. Growing up in the 60’s and reading the great adventure books of the day about the initial summiting of Everest, other mountaineering accounts, and books like The Gypsy Moth Circles the World etc, Bonington became my adventure hero. To me he is the embodiment of the British explorer! I have some climbing experience. I lived on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, in Alberta through the 80’s, and live in the interior of British Columbia now, but I’m a “hiker” at this point!
    Peace

  • @PhenomenalOrg
    @PhenomenalOrg Před 2 lety +3

    The story of four man, Tony, Andy, Eddie, and Willie will forever be legendary

  • @captnwally
    @captnwally Před 2 lety +32

    I’ve been to the foot of the Eiger a number of times. It is an eerie place when the fog rolls in. The most climbing I’ve done is to walk from Wengen and then on another day from Grindlewald , up to Kleine Scheidigg. I have also hiked above Murren a number of times. I love that entire area. Also, as a young Canadian growing up in a Cdn city I read most of the books mentioned in this video. Thank you for posting the video!

  • @northbynorth2283
    @northbynorth2283 Před 2 lety +50

    I was lucky to climb the Eiger 20+ years ago, did not climb the north face but at the foot of the north all you can see is crosses and the sound of the mountain.

    • @jennifermcdonald5432
      @jennifermcdonald5432 Před 2 lety +5

      What do you mean by the “sound of the mountain “.

    • @jaysoto1182
      @jaysoto1182 Před 2 lety +5

      @@jennifermcdonald5432 the sound of the wind whipping off the mountain

    • @jennifermcdonald5432
      @jennifermcdonald5432 Před 2 lety +3

      @@jaysoto1182 must sound very spooky, kind of hollow and spacey, empty. Thanks for answering!

    • @kvltizt
      @kvltizt Před rokem +1

      @@jennifermcdonald5432 not many trees soaking up the sound

  • @tm13tube
    @tm13tube Před 2 lety +28

    This is a haunting story. I’ll never forget it.

  • @steviedee8921
    @steviedee8921 Před rokem +3

    Fantastic recording.
    Chris Bonnington gave a lecture at our school circa 1971 and it was utterly mesmerising. I shall never forget it. Brilliant.

  • @twistoffate4791
    @twistoffate4791 Před 2 lety +18

    At 42:44, Chris Bonington is talking about the mysteriousness of the mountain, still, in 1962, and his eyes sparkle and suddenly, it's as if he never aged a day & is young again.

  • @MADDLADO1
    @MADDLADO1 Před 2 lety +86

    Thank you for these terrific uploads, David Snow !!!

  • @Yuuphonixx
    @Yuuphonixx Před 2 lety +47

    I absolutely loved the second ascent of the North Face of the Eiger. It gave Louis Lachenal and Lionel Terray the strength and confidence they needed to make Annapurna a success in 1950.

    • @ThoR52
      @ThoR52 Před rokem +2

      It was quite an epic, which is ultimately the most interesting aspect for me.

    • @Yuuphonixx
      @Yuuphonixx Před rokem

      @@ThoR52 Not to mention that Chris Bonington and Ian Clough were the first Brits to ascend via the Nordwand in 1962, and then to lead an expedition that will first scale the south face of Annapurna in 1970. Although Chris was confined at one of the camps and Ian was caught in an avalanche created by a serac during the descent.

  • @freddy7171
    @freddy7171 Před 2 lety +22

    RIP Steck. Complete legend

  • @catdaddy3302
    @catdaddy3302 Před 2 lety +14

    “If you’ve climbed half the Eiger, you’re already committed.” You got that right!

    • @maxiepattie85
      @maxiepattie85 Před 2 lety +3

      "i've been down that road and know where it leads
      why I keep coming back, a mystery to me?" - NOFX
      obsession is in the wiring i suppose?

    • @DennisFromRLM
      @DennisFromRLM Před 2 lety +2

      @@maxiepattie85 I have never seen someone quote NOFX before, lmao. I'm glad to say I have now.

  • @Vector_Ze
    @Vector_Ze Před 2 lety +12

    45-years ago, when I was young and invulnerable, I dangled my legs over the 1,000-foot sheer drop from Plateau Point in the Grand Canyon.
    A vertical mile? Hmm, no more dead than a fall from 1,000 feet. But, I'm no longer invulnerable. And, absolutely nowhere near as fit.

    • @tm13tube
      @tm13tube Před 2 lety +1

      And I’ll be paralyzed by terror just watching you.

  • @polloloci21
    @polloloci21 Před 2 lety +3

    Just passed by the north face on a gondola. That mountain face is scary AF

  • @stihlnz
    @stihlnz Před 2 lety +17

    Well done, great historical story, with some of the main still living protagonists.

  • @HardwareAddiction
    @HardwareAddiction Před 2 lety +5

    Thanks so much for uploading this. I've never seen this amazing documentary before.

  • @saryansermino3930
    @saryansermino3930 Před 2 lety +8

    Thank you for sharing this amazing documentary!!!

  • @jedwardswalker
    @jedwardswalker Před 2 lety +3

    I truly admire the people who have the courage and strength to know when to call it....live to fight another day

  • @GG-jn4dx
    @GG-jn4dx Před 2 lety +17

    Been around during summer hiking below it. Beautiful place

  • @ewsdneax61eaxe10
    @ewsdneax61eaxe10 Před 2 lety +8

    Thank you very much mate for all these uploads👍👍👍

  • @stephanosnicolaou7111
    @stephanosnicolaou7111 Před 2 lety +30

    This channel has become my favourite. Keep them coming!

  • @pleasuretokill
    @pleasuretokill Před 2 lety +44

    What a great documentary....these people are crazy af tho. I'll just watch it on my phone thx. 😂

    • @lukefish7562
      @lukefish7562 Před 2 lety

      😆👍🏼

    • @josho9910
      @josho9910 Před 2 lety

      agreed

    • @Rbati_malaki
      @Rbati_malaki Před 2 lety

      Exactly lmaol I'm doing for the 1st time though the toubkal summit in Morocco next holidays, it's the highest in the north of Africa, which connects is a part of the atlas belt, many montains that goes over the 3 Maghreb countries. I HOPE I'LL DO WELL i need to work on my cardio and psychology 'cos I have a little acrophobia 😭😳

    • @danieldusentrieb4082
      @danieldusentrieb4082 Před 2 lety

      So crazy...

  • @Longtack55
    @Longtack55 Před 2 lety +1

    A couple of years ago in Switzerland I was fortunate to stay with the daughter of the 9th party ascender Erich Vanis. He was obsessive about mountaineering and tended to ignore his family (as you would expect.) Maybe I can be first to ascend on one leg while wearing a onesie? Hmmm. An excellent production everyone, and my thanks.

  • @debbiemurphy2512
    @debbiemurphy2512 Před 2 lety +4

    Thanks so much for uploading this wonderful video 🙏

  • @markgeorge9400
    @markgeorge9400 Před 11 měsíci +3

    Im not even remotely interested about mountains or climbing, only when i lay in bed at night and go on CZcams 😅

  • @sandybanjo
    @sandybanjo Před 2 lety +1

    Great presentation.....I agree with Tamara below......Lots of lessons to be learned spiritually, as well of understanding the challenges.

  • @davebetch9918
    @davebetch9918 Před 2 lety +55

    This has been posted before on various channels and I have seen it hundreds of times but this is the best quality one and has all the music unlike some of the others. Now we just need the documentary with Eric Jones soloing the Eiger back on CZcams!

    • @lindsayrogers6690
      @lindsayrogers6690 Před 2 lety +7

      Eric Jones is a legend. Also served a mean bacon butty in his cafe at the bottom of Tremadoc. Top lad.

    • @davebetch9918
      @davebetch9918 Před 2 lety +2

      @@lindsayrogers6690 he is and he does indeed

    • @garthlyon
      @garthlyon Před 2 lety +3

      Eric Jones' solo (film) made it real when he lost his confidence and froze at the bottom of the Exit Cracks, but he heroically recovered (alone) to finish the climb.

  • @chanachaya8996
    @chanachaya8996 Před 2 lety +19

    It looks like the lords mountain! Maybe there are precious aspects of nature we are not meant to challenge!! I will just respect & admire it from below...

  • @steerpike50
    @steerpike50 Před 2 lety +19

    Brilliant documentary , iv heard and watched Chris Bonington since i was a kid , he is one of our true adventurers , very exciting stuff.

  • @SimakSantana
    @SimakSantana Před 2 lety +7

    So much content, thanks for the upload

  • @miapdx503
    @miapdx503 Před 5 měsíci +1

    I don't like the cold. I don't like snow. But there's something about watching these videos from the warmth and comfort from my bedroom...I can understand why the challenge would draw people. Sometimes we like to be tested...the Eiger is a demanding, fearsome challenge. It calls to some...⛏

    • @TheMerryPrangster
      @TheMerryPrangster Před 3 měsíci +1

      A foot massage and pedicure is more challenging 😁

  • @rjones6219
    @rjones6219 Před 2 lety +40

    The climber who died hanging on his rope. I seem to recall that he was left there for a couple of years. And when they did finally recover his body, they found his watch still working. Kept going by the gentle swinging of his body in the wind.

  • @helidrones
    @helidrones Před 2 lety +7

    I remember myself looking at Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau when I was a child and my grandparents took me to Switzerland for holidays.

    • @engegiger
      @engegiger Před 16 dny

      Eiger, Mönch und Jungfrau - Orge, Monk and Virgin. Legend says the Monk was protecting the Virgin from the Orge. 🥰

  • @user-sj9pk5bs3y
    @user-sj9pk5bs3y Před 14 dny +1

    Thanks Ehsan. Video was so helpful

  • @FloydMaxwell
    @FloydMaxwell Před 10 měsíci +2

    In 1974, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler climbed the Eiger North Face in 10 hours (a record that stood for 34 years, for a roped party)
    - Reinhold Messner's wiki

  • @lidijabasanovic9779
    @lidijabasanovic9779 Před 2 lety +3

    Love your channel, every video is awesome 😊 thanks and wish you the best in life and work 🌳

  • @matchpoint14
    @matchpoint14 Před 2 měsíci

    My climbing experience is climbing about 10 feet up my neighbor's rock chimney when I was about 14 years old. I was a skinny kid with strong hands and arms and legs. I live in middle GA we don't have mountains, but I did walk up Stone Mountain in the 80s

  • @moiraatkinson
    @moiraatkinson Před rokem +5

    I’ve been on that train through the Eiger, which stops at the station high on the north face, where you can get out and look at the route up that climbers would take. I’ll never forget the sight of all the ice and shuddering at the idea of climbing it. It’s a sight like no other - where else do you get to look through a window at the middle of a mountain and view it from a few feet away? When we got off the train at the top of Jungfraujoch there was as a steady stream of people heading up the Eiger by an easier route, which although snow covered and very cold in September, looked a reasonably easy climb, though a long one (considerably shorter if you took the train to Jungfrau, but I don’t suppose many did)! Brilliant video, like all of David Snow’s.

    • @Glenn-em3hv
      @Glenn-em3hv Před 10 měsíci +1

      I can't believe they actually laid train tracks up it!!!! Those people were incredible and a different generation!!!

  • @stephaniekaye8102
    @stephaniekaye8102 Před 2 lety +67

    Lmao, the British guy in the beginning seems to be more horrified and mesmerized by the snow on the ground that he is over the mountain itself!!! Mountaineers certainly are a strange type of people, no doubt.

    • @ieism1
      @ieism1 Před 2 lety +29

      That amount of new snow means there is an acute avalanche problem, when you work in the mountains that makes you a bit nervous for sure.

    • @davebetch9918
      @davebetch9918 Před 2 lety +12

      Guilty as charged

    • @twistoffate4791
      @twistoffate4791 Před 2 lety +4

      @@davebetch9918 lol!! I like your humor!!

  • @akseli9
    @akseli9 Před 2 lety +33

    Probably the boldest solo mountain climb in history: Metanoia, on the North Face of the Eiger, by Jeff Lowe in winter 1991. It's Jello's birthday today, he would have been 71. RIP.

    • @One-Ring-To-Rule-Them-All
      @One-Ring-To-Rule-Them-All Před 2 lety +4

      Metanoia is such a breath taking project. Jeff Lowe was the purest mountaineer I can imagine. RIP...

    • @losmosquitos1108
      @losmosquitos1108 Před 2 lety +1

      Do you know of Ueli Steck‘s speed climb record in 2015 (2:22‘!), classic route? Unbelievable. czcams.com/video/NfpYNr7es0Y/video.html
      R.I.P., „Suisse machine“

    • @akseli9
      @akseli9 Před 2 lety +2

      @@losmosquitos1108 yes, Ueli Steck was such an amazing climber. He thoroughly discussed with Jeff Lowe about Metanoia because he wanted to be the first one to repeat it. Alas he died in the Himalayas, so we'll never see him achieve the first repetition of Metanoia.

    • @ContactsNfilters
      @ContactsNfilters Před rokem +1

      Nice. "Metanoia" was often translated to "repentence" or in a book titled "the mountain of silence" "to change one's mind", but I also like the idea of "meta" meaning beyond and noia of course means mind, so to go beyond the mind. Beyond the doubting thoughts. I'll have to read that book.

  • @ericdurae5085
    @ericdurae5085 Před 5 měsíci +1

    Been hooked on these documentaries for a couple months now and there extremely addictive!!!😂

  • @chrismeyers5963
    @chrismeyers5963 Před 10 měsíci +4

    I remember there was either a movie or another documentary about this, I know there was some guys who were filming about climbing this, talking about the tunnel with the guard thing and all, was pretty badass, I love history, can learn so much from it, especially this kind of stuff

  • @lisalynnn
    @lisalynnn Před 2 lety +12

    I love these videos!

  • @bharat_thapa_
    @bharat_thapa_ Před 2 lety +15

    Mountain: *why are they calling me a killer? I didn't ask them to climb.*

    • @funstuff2006
      @funstuff2006 Před 2 lety +1

      @@williammaurice7206 Cuff? Oh, no. For Health & Safety reasons the only option is to bulldoze it so nobody can ever fall from it again, naturally. 😂

    • @prevost8686
      @prevost8686 Před rokem

      We humans have always indulged in self destructive behavior so instead of dealing with the root causes of our behavior we tend to blame others. Sorry mountain . Don’t take it personally. That’s just how the human family rolls.

  • @ericdurae5085
    @ericdurae5085 Před 5 měsíci +1

    That picture of him hanging dead struck hard😢 rip good friend!!

  • @SpookyRedz
    @SpookyRedz Před 2 lety +8

    Please keep sending them Mr.David 👍

  • @elleemann
    @elleemann Před 2 lety +52

    Love these documentaries David. Thank you!

  • @southerneruk
    @southerneruk Před 2 lety +5

    I have not seen Chris since 1974/5 when he joined us in Antarctica aboard the ship I was on

  • @123HappyMad
    @123HappyMad Před 2 lety +47

    Here I am thinking North Face is just a popular winter brand.

    • @thiefonthecross7552
      @thiefonthecross7552 Před 2 lety +8

      North Face refers to half dome in Yosemite.

    • @kvltizt
      @kvltizt Před 2 lety +7

      @@thiefonthecross7552 It also works nicely for many mountains in the northern hemisphere with exposed north faces. brutal in the winter, never receiving sun.

    • @thiefonthecross7552
      @thiefonthecross7552 Před 2 lety +2

      @@kvltizt Yea for sure. Just talking about the brand specifically.

  • @Crashed131963
    @Crashed131963 Před 2 lety +27

    The 2008 movie about this called "North Face" was the best mountain climbing movie I ever seen.

    • @kathrynchamberlin3405
      @kathrynchamberlin3405 Před 2 lety +4

      I saw it at a film festival in 2008 and it’s a film that haunts me still. So good. I’ve watched it 5 times and each was like seeing a different movie.

    • @aaronkastriotiseni1406
      @aaronkastriotiseni1406 Před 2 lety +2

      Thanks for the recommendation. Didn't watch that one.

    • @brendamcmaster5629
      @brendamcmaster5629 Před 2 měsíci

      Touching the void is my favorite.

  • @seahog32
    @seahog32 Před 2 lety +4

    March 1983, first ascent of the ideal direttissima, winter solo. Pavel Pochyly, Slovakia (well, still Czechoslovakia in those days).