Eiger, 3,967-meter limestone mountain in Bernese Alps, Switzerland
The Eiger is a limestone summit in the Bernese Alps that reaches 3,967 meters (13,015 feet) above sea level. Its north wall stretches 1,800 meters (5,905 feet) vertically, forming a steep rock formation between green valleys and glacial fields.
Christian Almer and Peter Bohren, together with Charles Barrington, reached the summit for the first time on August 11, 1858. The north face remained unclimbed until 1938, when a German and Austrian team completed the route eighty years after the mountain was first summited.
The north face presents constantly changing weather conditions and frequent rockfall that have shaped the way climbers approach this wall over decades. Local guides and residents speak of the mountain with respect rather than fear, knowing its reputation has drawn adventurers from around the world.
The Kleine Scheidegg station offers several viewing points where visitors can observe the wall and occasionally spot climbers through telescopes. Access is provided by the Jungfrau railway, which operates year-round and ensures the best visibility during clear weather.
More than sixty fatalities have been recorded on the north face since 1935, prompting German speakers to call it Mordwand, or murder wall. A railway tunnel passes through the mountain itself, ending near the summit of the Jungfrau, with windows cut into the wall that allow passengers brief glimpses outside.
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