In case you missed it this was excellent. Full of heroic stuff. Would have been better if it had had the first women’s ascent and especially the solo effort of Alison Hargreaves (who was pregnant when she did it 8O) but still very inspiring. TV.

North face of the Eiger

yep watched it last night, great stuff and a story I didn’t know much about.

Bump for those back from riding

Watched it the first time around but worth watching a second time

Watched it first time as above. Absolutely bonkers

I nearly fell off that once. Not the north face but up from the train station 🙄 still shit myself thinking about it

I’m going to watch that now, cheers.

The White Spider is an epic account of all the daring do, history and controversy on the mountain, if you want to read more about it

Fab piece of climbing documentary and historical record.

There was a french guy climbed it solo in winter at night straight after a solo ascent of the dru

Its on again tonight at 10.40pm

Stavro was that the guy who climbed the north faces of the matterhorn, mont blanc and eiger all back to back, solo, as well? There was a documentary on this but I can’t remember the guy’s name.

That’s the fella, dead now but what a true superstar

The thing I struggle to get round with the North Face of the Eiger is how serious it is, yet so close to safety. The Tony Kurtz story really highlights this.

Great program. I noticed it on iPlayer whilst tracking down the thing about British jet planes that was on just after, made for a properly blokey evening’s viewing whilst the wife was out with her mates. I was obsessed with the Eiger as a kid, I remember persuading the family to go on holiday near Grindelwald just so I could go and see it. An amazing mountain with a fascinating story.

The interview with Brian Nally is one of the most harrowing things i’ve seen on telly in a while – guy looked totally broken 🙁

The interview with Brian Nally is one of the most harrowing things i’ve seen on telly in a while – guy looked totally broken

His rescue by Bonnington and Whillans also highlights one of the greatest mountaineers of that generation. Not Bonnington, but Whillans, on rescuing Nally, Whillans by-passed the Hinterstoisser traverse by finding a crafty absail line. A line that might have saved Rainer, Angerer, Hinterstoisser and Toni Kurz in ’36 if they had Whillans experience and mountain sense. The Swiss Guides/mountain rescue teams praised Whillans great skill and eye for the line (up and down) at the time.
Unfortunately, I can’t recall which book this British Tragedy is best documented in.

Think it was in “I chose to climb” by Bonnington

Don Whillans was a real man.

I’m sure there was many a 1950s man crush held in secret for this monster of man.

I certainly had a “man crush” thanks to Whillans, or more specifically the Whillans harness – was so glad when someone invented leg loops!

the Whillans harness

When my wife conceived I though, there but for the grace of a Whillan’s harness go my sperm.

LOL^
stavromuller, I was thinking it might have been ‘The Villain’ book or even a Joe Simpson book that gave more details of the Nally tragedy and rescue, but not sure. It might have been that Bonnigton book.

I went to see Jim Perrin give a talk in Manchester for the launch of his book ‘The Villain’. It was excellent. I got to meet both Chris Bonnington and John Noaks there. It was a pretty special evening!

The Whillans harness made me a better climber by making it imperative I didn’t fall off.

Pedant Corner: Bonington!

If you want to hear some very funny first hand Whillans stories, get your hair cut by John the barber in Hebden (Up the wooden stairs near the toy shop at Innovations).
He’s an old drinking buddy of Whillans and a proper character in his own right.