Eigernordwand

February 27, 1997

by Serguei G. Kalmykov

I returned yesterday. We (5 persons) climbed the Eigernordwand on John Harlin's route for 7 days with 6 bivouacs.

The weather was normal only for the first four days. Then a night blizzard started and lasted for 2 days. So on our fifth day we were sitting in the same place, under the Spider - at the fourth bivouac - with two ropes, periodically cleaning off the snow. Since besides all this, we wanted to participate in the Winter Championship of Russia, the last, possible for us, day to reach the summit was February 28.

Therefore, in spite of the continuing blizzard, we resumed progress on the next, the sixth day (February 27) and bivouaced at the top of the Spider. The rock conditions became awful and further climbing up on the John Harlin route would inevitably yield one more night bivouac. This is why for the last 200m we turned left to the crack of the classic way and February 28 about 15 o'clock we were standing on the summit under sunset beams for the first time during the last week.

On the evening of this same day we were drinking hot wine and cold beer in the Kleine Scheidegg restaurant. During these days a phrase from the "Eiger sanction" warmed my soul: "When you're 42 you're too old for the Eiger, fellow."

At the middle of our ascent, a person who supported us, a climber living in small town of Yverdon (western shore of the Neuchatel lake, Lausanne region) appraised the rescue service headquarter in Zurich on the situation with our team (we had paid the insurance before). The first reply was: "Monsieur, the present weather conditions on the Eigernorwand preclude any group stay there. For sure, there are no groups on the wall now." "I know this", he said, but these are russians. This is not the same that others. Please, check the wall."

But in these days the visibility was zero and neither observing nor helicopters could help. However, during our stay on the summit, and then while descending, we were honourably escorted by a beautiful red and green resque bird until they had convinced themselves that we were OK, though crazy.

People told us that all the valley watched our climbing. In the first three days many small planes and helicopters circled the mountain. The great wall! Now I understand why the Europeans had failed to achieve the summit, at least for half a century. Very long, only the difference in the altitude is 1800m, icy rock, many vertical and overhanging pitches (the average angle is 70-75 degrees, it implies that with four (including the Spider) ice fields the rest part of the route must be quasi or more than vertical).

In 1966 the route had taken one month, in 1977 (only the first repetition!) the Japanese were living on it for three(!) months. The only thing that was strange and hardly acceptable for us, Russians, in comparison with our wild mountains: the tunnel and the railway station Eigernordwand.

Our first bivouac has been 100m to the right of the tunnel's windows, spectators observed our climbing and at night we could see the electric light reflecting on the snow!

In general the trip was something new for me. We were going by two cars: from Petersburg to Helsinki, then the ferry to Travemunde and then through Germany to Switzerland. Very interesting and beautiful travel (and much cheaper then by plane).

It was a shock for us when crossing back on the Finland/Russian border. A famous Russian singer, Vladimir Vysotsky, sang, "The same forest, the same air and the same water" ... but what a contrast! I hope you understand. Typically it is smothered with airports.

Comments?

Sat Sep 8 russian achievement on the eigernordwand frank cassidy (181) {14}

Fri Nov 1 '02 Re: russian achievement on the eigernordwand ROD OWEN (62)

A Los Alpinistas story by Serguei G. Kalmykov.