Der Eiger
Der Eiger
The Eiger (3,970 m (13,025 ft)) is
a mountain in the Bernese Alps in
Switzerland. 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 JungfrauAletsch, covered by some of the
largest glaciers in the Alps.
Since 1935, at least sixty-four climbers have died attempting the
north face, earning it the German nickname Mordwand, literally
"murder(ous) wall"
The north face, 1,800 m
(5,900 ft) was first
climbed in 1938 by an
Austrian-German
expedition and is one of
the six great north faces
of the Alps.
The Eiger is mentioned in records dating back to the 13th century but
there is no clear indication of how exactly the peak gained its name.
The three mountains of the ridge are commonly referred to as the
Virgin (German: Jungfrau - translates to "virgin" or "maiden"), the
Monk (Mönch) and the Ogre (Eiger). The name has been linked to the
Latin term acer, meaning "sharp" or "pointed," but more commonly to
the German eigen, meaning "characteristic."
The 1972 novel The Eiger Sanction is an action/thriller novel by
Rodney William Whitaker, based around the climbing of the Eiger.
This was then made into a 1975 film starring Clint Eastwood and
George Kennedy.
Blick vom Gipfel
View from the summit
Kleine- Scheidegg
Die Jungfraubahn
A train called the Jungfraubahn runs into the mountain half way up
the summit. It took 15 years to build it. It leads to the highest train
station in Europe.
The highest railway station in Europe
Jungfraujoch
die Nordwand
The movie portrays an attempt in 1936 to summit the Eiger via the
north face by two competing climbing teams. The more prominently
featured pair of German climbers are Toni Kurz and Andi
Hinterstoisser from Berchtesgaden.