Eiger – The Mittelleggi Ridge

In the beautiful and massive glaciated expanse of Bernese Oberland, The Eiger (or Ogre in German) is situated adjacent to the Jungfrau (Virgin) and the Monch (Monk). What undocumented deviancy this unlikely trio got up to is anyone’s guess but we will focus on the folklore associated with the epic battles for survival and failure that took place in the race for the coveted first ascent of it’s immense 1800 m North Face during the 1930s – by far the biggest and most complex in Europe – which eventually yielded when Anderl Heckmair and Ludwig Vorg joined forces with Heinrick Harrer and Fritz Kasparek in 1938 whose actions were immortalised in Harrer’s book ‘The White Spider’ – a reference to the icy legs that radiate from the upper ice field. For their feat of endurance in the face of adversity, the foursome were received by Hitler who had already annexed Austria. Harrer went on to be imprisoned in 1939 after the outbreak of WW2 by the British in the Himalayas – the basis of the film ‘Seven Years in Tibet’.

The Mittelleggi of East Ridge of the Eiger that curves over the top of the North Face also repulsed multiple attempts over the years . Local Grindelwald guides Fritz Amatter and Fritz Steuri , and visiting Japanese mountaineer Yuko Maki made the first ascent of the Mittelleggi ridge in 1921, 47 years after the first attempt and 16 years after the opening of the Eiger railway and Eismeer station that dramatically reduced the approach. Maki donated a princely sum of 10000 Swiss Francs for the building of the Mittelleggi hut at 3355m that we will stay in at the start of the ridge.

• Guided days – 6
• Guiding ratio is 1:2 for the training days and 1:1 on the Eiger
• Training can be based around Chamonix or Sastal regions
• Please send all enquiries to rosshewittguiding@yahoo.com or whatsapp +33781287608