In July 1936 two young climbers, Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser, cycled to the foot of the Eiger. This is the story of Kurz on its north face, and a rescue that fell metres short. Above them rose a wall of crumbling limestone 1,800 metres high. It was the last great unclimbed problem in the mountains of Europe. So many people had died trying that the peak was nicknamed the Mordwand, or Murder Wall. Their own government wanted it climbed regardless. According to a widely told story, it had promised an Olympic gold medal to the first climbers to conquer it, and it wanted the peak to stand for national endurance. Two other climbers from a neighboring country joined them on the face. Spectators at a hotel below watched through telescopes. Could four men climb a wall that had killed before, and come back down?
The Eiger North Face: Toni Kurz
In 1936 Toni Kurz died five metres above his rescuers on the Eiger North Face after a night hanging in a blizzard.
The Wall and the Medal
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Hinterstoisser Traverse and why did it matter in 1936?
It was a 40 metre slab of smooth rock about 700 metres up the Eiger North Face. Andreas Hinterstoisser crossed it with a tension traverse on a rope. The team pulled the rope through behind them, so on the way down they could not cross back.
How did Toni Kurz try to save himself after his companions died?
Kurz cut himself free from his dead companions. With his teeth and one working hand he spent five hours unraveling his climbing rope into a thin line. He lowered it 40 metres so the guides could tie on a heavier rope, which he hauled up and anchored to a piton.
Why did Toni Kurz die so close to the rescuers?
The knot joining the two rescue ropes jammed in his carabiner when he was five metres above the guides. He struggled for several minutes to force it through, but his body was failing from hypothermia. He leaned forward and died.
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