With the six great North Faces of the Alps pioneered nearly a century ago, most might think that there’s nothing left to be done, except speed records or highly artificial distinctions. This week, Thomas and Alexander Huber returned to the North Face of the Eiger to prove them wrong.
From left, Thomas Huber, Alex Huber and Stephan Siegrist.
In 2017, Thomas Huber, Stephan Siegrist, and Roger Schaeli did the first repetition of the supremely difficult Metanoia on the Eiger NF. Buoyed by his success, Thomas and his brother started studying options for a possible new route in March, but the pandemic shelved their plans. By the time the lockdown lifted, summer conditions on the face were too dangerous, so they had to wait until autumn.
On Tuesday, the Hubers, again with Siegrist, set up camp at the base of the legendary North Face of the Eiger, planning “a new direct line through the center of the face”.
The climb started on Tuesday. “We started our first pitch of real climbing at first light,” they said. “A steep wall of superb limestone offered great free climbing, some interesting hooking, as well as exciting mixed climbing.”
A sunny start to their first day on the wall. Photo: Huberbuam
