Eiger North Face, Harlin Direct Route, Switzerland. Fourth Ascent ...

Eiger N orth Face, Harlin D irect Route, Switzerland. F ourth Ascent (F irst A m erican A scent) (G rade VI, ED S u p ): One cold O ctober night, Alex M acintyre of England and I crept into G rindelw ald just below the Eiger. It is difficult to look to the Swiss for encouragem ent for they frow n on kids trying their mountain. F o r two weeks we kept smiling and never dared to m ention our plans of the Direct. Finally in m id-October, the w eather turned good and late one night we packed our sacks. It seemed a strange thing to take only five days of food and a handful of pitons on something th at had previously taken three to four weeks. But we, m ore than anyone, knew there was no other way. T he following day, we found the ice in good condition and moved rapidly using the rope only interm ittently. W hen we neared the windows of the Eigerw and station, a Swiss guide came out on a rope and de­ m anded th at we com e in since he considered our climb impossible. Shortly after passing this fellow, I began the difficult nailing (A 4) of the first rock band and by nine o’clock that night we hung uncom fortably, but happily, at the top of our first m ajor obstacle. Twelve hours of varying degrees of ice climbing brought us to D eath Bivouac for our second night. On the third day, steep ice led us to the right side of the C entral Pillar. H ere we found the difficult and fam ous K or traverse. W ithin an hour and a half and only one point of aid, we found ourselves across the traverse. H ere again steep ice led to the top of the Pillar. The following m orning we climbed two long aid pitches to the Spider and mixed climbing took us to the Fly for our fourth night. On the fifth day difficult mixed climbing brought us to the summit. T o b in

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