“The Eiger is like no other mountain. It is easy when talking about it to amass superlatives: the most deadly, the most sinister, the one that has provoked the most controversy.” - Sylvain Jouty, from the Foreword of ‘Eiger. The Vertical Arena’.

The north face of The Eiger is notorious. Its name alone resonates far beyond the circles of climbers and mountaineers. It evokes a sense of danger and forbidding, unmatched by any other mountain. A scene of epic struggles before and since its first ascent in 1938, it was immortalised by Heinrich Harrer’s ‘The White Spider’ and Hollywood’s ‘The Eiger Sanction’, starring Clint Eastwood. Although its difficulty has now been surpassed by modern standards of alpinism, it is arguably the north face by which all others are measured.

The history and media fascination that still surrounds the original 1938 route is everywhere, and this plays an unmissable role when climbing it. Sleeping at Death Bivouac, aware of what took place there, or clipping pitons that might well have been placed by the first ascensionists; this iconic route really is incredible from start to finish.

The face is 1,800 metres top to bottom although the route itself is likely around 2,500m, owing to the horizontal traversing. It comprises five crux pitches, all around Scottish V/VI. They are short-lived and mostly protected by old and untrustworthy pitons. Leading Scottish mixed routes at grade V comfortably and simul-climbing the easier pitches is a must to climb the route in a day.

If you’re aiming to climb the route over two days, the normal tactics are to either catch the first train up to the base, climb all day and spend the first night at Death Bivouac. Or, to take the train the day before, sleep at the base, employ an alpine start and bivvy at the higher Brittle Ledges spot. Either way, the remainder of the route can then be finished the following day. The summit provides enough flat space for a suitable bivvy, if required. 

Climbing the ice fields quickly is important as they get hit with falling debris, especially during the warmer part of the day. Conventionally undertaken in summer, it’s now hard to find the route in good condition at that time of year. It’s therefore becoming more common to see ascents earlier in the year and even during the winter. It’s crucial to undertake the route only in good condition and in a period of stable weather, otherwise many of the pitches will be harder than expected, and even unprotectable.

The summit allows enough room for a shiver bivvy if needed, and the descent is simple enough. Head back down to the train station where the conductor might ask if you’ve just climbed the face, and may even shake your hand.