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 Jungfrau-Aletsch, 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 GipfelView from the summit

Kleine- Scheidegg

Die JungfraubahnA 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 EuropeJungfraujoch

die NordwandThe 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.