Alone at 3,970m on the North Face of the Eiger, Austrian alpinist Laura Tiefenthaler found herself in rare air. She had just become the second woman ever to solo the legendary wall. Tiefenthaler topped out the Heckmair Route (60°, M6, WI5, 1,800 m) on March 25.
She had eyeballed the solo for about a week leading up to the ascent. Unusually favorable weather had already helped her scope the route on March 8, roped up with Jana Möhrer. Shortly after that, Rolando Garibotti helped her dream up the solo attempt.
The North Face of the Eiger. Photo: Terra3 via Wiki Commons
Doubts, and an initial setback
She confessed on Instagram that at first, she doubted her ability to bring it up.
“Rolando Garibotti came up with the idea to go back to the Heckmair by myself,” the young alpinist wrote. “For him, it seemed like an obvious choice after climbing it with Jana had felt so good two weeks earlier. For me, it was not even a possibility, but when he mentioned it, desire immediately grew. Doubts about my abilities and too many people on the wall were on my mind. However, the dream was born, so I drove there to have a look.”
She proceeded to try the solo once unsuccessfully on March 24. Tiefenthaler charged into the task but got lost and retreated after a route-finding mistake.
“[M]y mind game was not the best,” she said.
Tiefenthaler recovers with a key mental adjustment
But Tiefenthaler didn’t give up. Instead, she descended to the Grindelwald train station and mentally regrouped. While there, she decided on the ground rules for her next attempt. One of them was to keep an open mind.
“I spent the whole day at the train station, watching tourists, recharging, and setting my mind in the right place,” she said. “The first rule was to get down safely, the second to have fun, not to have it feel like an exam, but rather go there with curiosity.”
The approach worked. The next day, she hiked out at 1 am with a recharged psych.
“I felt good. Doubts were magically gone,” Tiefenthaler said. “With curiosity as my main motivation, and knowing that up to a point, I could get down, it felt safe to go explore. As I progressed, confidence grew.”
Tiefenthaler didn’t rush the ascent. She slowed down to rope solo some sections where she felt less secure. She also strategically worked around other parties on the route to give the adventure the exploratory texture she sought.
The Eiger, solo with style and a solid mentor
“Reaching the Traverse of the Gods at 10 am, I knew that time was on my side. I slowed down, prioritizing safety over speed, and topped out at 4 pm, exceeding my expectations.
“I shared the climb with three other parties but mostly managed to stay a good distance away from them, having the type of experience I was looking for. What a trip! What an experience,” Tiefenthaler said.
On the Eiger summit with Jana Möhrer. Photo: Laura Tiefenthaler
The Austrian signed off with thanks to Garibotti, who stayed a phone call away throughout the climb. The two did share some hairy conversations during the process.
“Sorry for scaring the shit out of you, but it’s your own fault,” Tiefenthaler teased. “It is great to have a friend and mentor who believes in one’s abilities more than oneself without putting pressure.”
Probable second female ascent
Tiefenthaler likely became the second woman to solo the North Face of the Eiger and the first to do it in three decades. The legendary Catherine Destivelle first broke the glass ceiling on the iconic wall on March 10, 1992.
