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9781680510508 English 1680510509 "A well-written, compelling account . . .it provides meaningful insight from a more balanced perspective into the interplay between two initially competing teams." -Tom Hornbein, author of Everest: The West Ridge - The story of a classic climb, now revised, updated, and expanded by the original author with new information - Literally a race to ascend Europe's most formidable mountain wall-Brits and Americans versus GermansThe North Face of the Eiger was long renowned as the most dangerous climb in the Swiss Alps, one that cost the lives of numerous mountaineers. In February 1966, two teams-one German, the other British/American-aimed to climb it in a straight line from bottom to top. Astonishingly, the two teams knew almost nothing about each other's attempt until both arrived at the foot of the face. The race was on.The team of John Harlin, Layton Kor, and Dougal Haston intended to make a quick dash to the summit when conditions were right. The Germans, with an eight-man team and a mass of equipment, planned a slow, relentless ascent. Watching all was a young journalist, Peter Gillman-the Eiger is clearly visible from the hotels of Kleine Scheidegg, where tourists can observe through telescopes the life-and-death struggles on the face. Now, fifty years later, Gillman recalls the dramatic events on the North Face, and assesses their effect on those who took part. The charismatic and controversial American climber John Harlin was killed before the summit was reached, while others were permanently injured through frostbite. For British photographer Chris Bonington, who was sucked into the action, it opened a path to a career and reputation as Britain's foremost mountaineer. It was an epic ascent with profound consequences, redolent of a golden age of adventure and mountaineering."It was incredibly challenging and probably some of the hardest climbing done in the Alps to that time," remembers Chris Bonington. "Being involved was absolutely fantastic. There's never been anything like it for me, before or since.", A rising star of American climbing in the 1960s, John Harlin was determined to make a name for himself, and obsessed with climbing the sheer face of Europe's most perilous peak in the style described by Emilio Comici, "I wish some day to make a route and from the summit let fall a drop of water and this is where my route will have gone." To achieve this vision-an alpine-style direct ascent of the North Face-Harlin recruited some of the finest climbers of the day: Chris Bonington, Layton Kor, and Dougal Haston. Unbeknownst to them, however, a group of eight Germans was planning an attempt on the mountain at the same time-also via the most direct route. The Germans intended a more traditional approach with a series of camps. Harlin belittled their attempt, but as time went on, the two groups progressed from suspicion to friendly rivalry to joining ropes for the final push to the summit. The climb became the stuff of legend. Peter Gillman, assigned by the Weekend Telegraph to cover the story, wrote a bestselling book, Eiger Direct, in 1966. This new telling, however, now delves into the personalities of all the climbers involved-American, British, and German-and recounts how events on the Face affected their lives in the years that followed. Extreme Eiger reveals for the first time the complete story of one of the greatest climbs of the twentieth century. Book jacket., The North Face of the Eiger was long renowned as the most dangerous climb in the Swiss Alps, one that cost the lives of numerous mountaineers. In February 1966, two teams¿one German, the other British/American¿aimed to climb it in a straight line from bottom to top. Astonishingly, the two teams knew almost nothing about each other's attempt until both arrived at the foot of the face. The race was on. The team of John Harlin, Layton Kor, and Dougal Haston intended to make a quick dash to the summit when conditions were right. The Germans, with an eight-man team and a mass of equipment, planned a slow, relentless ascent. Watching all was a young journalist, Peter Gillman¿the Eiger is clearly visible from the hotels of Kleine Scheidegg, where tourists can observe through telescopes the life-and-death struggles on the face. Now, fifty years later, Gillman recalls the dramatic events on the North Face, and assesses their effect on those who took part. The charismatic and controversial American climber John Harlin was killed before the summit was reached, while others were permanently injured through frostbite. For British photographer Chris Bonington, who was sucked into the action, it opened a path to a career and reputation as Britain's foremost mountaineer. It was an epic ascent with profound consequences, redolent of a golden age of adventure and mountaineering.
9781680510508 English 1680510509 "A well-written, compelling account . . .it provides meaningful insight from a more balanced perspective into the interplay between two initially competing teams." -Tom Hornbein, author of Everest: The West Ridge - The story of a classic climb, now revised, updated, and expanded by the original author with new information - Literally a race to ascend Europe's most formidable mountain wall-Brits and Americans versus GermansThe North Face of the Eiger was long renowned as the most dangerous climb in the Swiss Alps, one that cost the lives of numerous mountaineers. In February 1966, two teams-one German, the other British/American-aimed to climb it in a straight line from bottom to top. Astonishingly, the two teams knew almost nothing about each other's attempt until both arrived at the foot of the face. The race was on.The team of John Harlin, Layton Kor, and Dougal Haston intended to make a quick dash to the summit when conditions were right. The Germans, with an eight-man team and a mass of equipment, planned a slow, relentless ascent. Watching all was a young journalist, Peter Gillman-the Eiger is clearly visible from the hotels of Kleine Scheidegg, where tourists can observe through telescopes the life-and-death struggles on the face. Now, fifty years later, Gillman recalls the dramatic events on the North Face, and assesses their effect on those who took part. The charismatic and controversial American climber John Harlin was killed before the summit was reached, while others were permanently injured through frostbite. For British photographer Chris Bonington, who was sucked into the action, it opened a path to a career and reputation as Britain's foremost mountaineer. It was an epic ascent with profound consequences, redolent of a golden age of adventure and mountaineering."It was incredibly challenging and probably some of the hardest climbing done in the Alps to that time," remembers Chris Bonington. "Being involved was absolutely fantastic. There's never been anything like it for me, before or since.", A rising star of American climbing in the 1960s, John Harlin was determined to make a name for himself, and obsessed with climbing the sheer face of Europe's most perilous peak in the style described by Emilio Comici, "I wish some day to make a route and from the summit let fall a drop of water and this is where my route will have gone." To achieve this vision-an alpine-style direct ascent of the North Face-Harlin recruited some of the finest climbers of the day: Chris Bonington, Layton Kor, and Dougal Haston. Unbeknownst to them, however, a group of eight Germans was planning an attempt on the mountain at the same time-also via the most direct route. The Germans intended a more traditional approach with a series of camps. Harlin belittled their attempt, but as time went on, the two groups progressed from suspicion to friendly rivalry to joining ropes for the final push to the summit. The climb became the stuff of legend. Peter Gillman, assigned by the Weekend Telegraph to cover the story, wrote a bestselling book, Eiger Direct, in 1966. This new telling, however, now delves into the personalities of all the climbers involved-American, British, and German-and recounts how events on the Face affected their lives in the years that followed. Extreme Eiger reveals for the first time the complete story of one of the greatest climbs of the twentieth century. Book jacket., The North Face of the Eiger was long renowned as the most dangerous climb in the Swiss Alps, one that cost the lives of numerous mountaineers. In February 1966, two teams¿one German, the other British/American¿aimed to climb it in a straight line from bottom to top. Astonishingly, the two teams knew almost nothing about each other's attempt until both arrived at the foot of the face. The race was on. The team of John Harlin, Layton Kor, and Dougal Haston intended to make a quick dash to the summit when conditions were right. The Germans, with an eight-man team and a mass of equipment, planned a slow, relentless ascent. Watching all was a young journalist, Peter Gillman¿the Eiger is clearly visible from the hotels of Kleine Scheidegg, where tourists can observe through telescopes the life-and-death struggles on the face. Now, fifty years later, Gillman recalls the dramatic events on the North Face, and assesses their effect on those who took part. The charismatic and controversial American climber John Harlin was killed before the summit was reached, while others were permanently injured through frostbite. For British photographer Chris Bonington, who was sucked into the action, it opened a path to a career and reputation as Britain's foremost mountaineer. It was an epic ascent with profound consequences, redolent of a golden age of adventure and mountaineering.