The North Face of the Eiger was long notorious as the most dangerous climb in the Swiss Alps, one that had claimed the lives of numerous mountaineers. In February 1966, two teams – one German, the other British–American – aimed to climb it by a new direct route. Astonishingly, the two teams knew almost nothing about each other's attempt until both arrived at the foot of the face. The race was on. John Harlin led the four-man British–American team and intended to make an Alpine-style dash for the summit as soon as weather conditions allowed. The Germans, with an eight-man team, planned a relentless Himalayan-style ascent, whatever the weather. The authors were key participants as the dramatic events unfolded. Award-winning writer Peter Gillman, then twenty-three, was reporting for the Telegraph, talking to the climbers by radio and watching their monumental struggles from telescopes at the Kleine Scheidegg hotel. Renowned Scottish climber Dougal Haston was a member of Harlin's team, forging the way up crucial pitches on the storm-battered mountain. Chris Bonington began as official photographer but then played a vital role in the ascent. Eiger Direct , first published in 1966, is a story of risk and resilience as the climbers face storms, frostbite and tragedy in their quest to reach the summit. This edition features a new introduction by Peter Gillman.

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A historic memoir by the noted Alpine climber and journalist who undertakes an epic climb of The Eiger in Switzerland—the very same mountain that not only made his father “Eiger John” famous, but killed him in 1966. In the 1960s an American named John Harlin II changed the face of Alpine climbing. Gutsy and gorgeous—he was known as “the blond god”—Harlin successfully summitted some of the most treacherous mountains in Europe. But it was the north face of the Eiger that became Harlin’s obsession. Living with his wife and two children in Leysin, Switzerland, he spent countless hours planning to climb, waiting to climb, and attempting to climb the massive vertical face. It was the Eiger direct—the direttissima—with which John Harlin was particularly obsessed. He wanted to be the first to complete it, and everyone in the Alpine world knew it. John Harlin III was nine years old when his father made another attempt on a direct ascent of the notorious Eiger. Harlin had put together a terrific team, and, despite unending storms, he was poised for the summit dash. It was the moment he had long waited for. When Harlin’s rope broke, 2,000 feet from the summit, he plummeted 4,000 feet to his death. In the shadow of tragedy, young John Harlin III came of age possessed with the very same passion for risk that drove his father. But he had also promised his mother, a beautiful and brilliant young widow, that he would not be an Alpine climber. Harlin moved from Europe to America, and, with an insatiable sense of wanderlust, he reveled in downhill skiing and rock-climbing. For years he successfully denied the clarion call of the mountain that killed his father. But in 2005, John Harlin could resist no longer. With his nine-year-old daughter, Siena—his very age at the time of his father’s death—and with an IMAX Theatre filmmaking crew watching, Harlin set off to slay the Eiger. This is an unforgettable story about fathers and sons, climbers and mountains, and dreamers who dare to challenge the earth.

In his own words Dougal Haston covers the years from his childhood in Scotland, where his love of climbing was first sparked, through to his development into perhaps the most formidable climber of his generation; his reputation was forged by his successful ascents of familiar peaks by unfamiliar routes (of which the most famous was the Eiger Direct). Infused throughout with his passion for climbing and his great determination to succeed, In High Places is a compelling and eye-opening portrait of the climber as a young man and a must read for all those with an interest in mountaineering.

•The classic story of a notorious climb, now revised, updated, and expanded by the original author with new information •Literally a race to ascend Europe’s most formidable mountain wall—Brits and Americans versus Germans The North Face of the Eiger was long renowned as the most dangerous climb in the Swiss Alps, one that had cost the lives of numerous skilled mountaineers. In February 1966, two teams—one German, the other British/American—aimed to climb it in a straight line from bottom to top. Astonishingly, the two teams knew almost nothing about each other's attempt until both arrived at the foot of the face. The race was on. The Anglo-American team of John Harlin, Layton Kor, and Dougal Haston intended to make a dash to the summit when conditions were right. The Germans, with an eight-man team and a mass of equipment, planned a slow, relentless ascent. Watching all was a young journalist, Peter Gillman. Now, fifty years later, Gillman recalls the dramatic events on the North Face, and assesses their effect on those who took part. The charismatic and controversial American climber John Harlin was killed before the summit was reached, while others were permanently injured through frostbite. For British photographer Chris Bonington, who was sucked into the action, it opened a path to a career and reputation as Britain's foremost mountaineer. “It was incredibly challenging and probably some of the hardest climbing done in the Alps to that time,” remembers Bonington. “Being involved was absolutely fantastic. There’s never been anything like it for me, before or since.” This title is part of our LEGENDS AND LORE series. Click here > to learn more.

'He is the David Attenborough of mountaineering . . . Bonington's most personal memoir yet' The Times 'This is a compelling tale of fortitude and endurance' The Sunday Times Chris Bonington is Britain’s best-known climber, having spent a lifetime among the world’s highest and wildest mountains. In the 1960s, he made the first British ascent of the north face of the Eiger. In the 1970s, he led some of the most important first ascents ever achieved in the Himalaya, including the south face of Annapurna and the south-west face of Everest – the hard way. Along with successes came the agony of friends losing their lives on the mountain, gambling with the highest stakes of all. In the 1980s, he reached the summit of Everest, aged fifty-one, a moment of fulfilment that only renewed his passion for adventure. In the years since, he has led countless expeditions to remote peaks with small teams all over the world, his enthusiasm for remote and little-known places still burning as he enters his ninth decade. He now looks back on his extraordinary life, recounting his family’s adventurous roots, his mother’s struggle to bring him up through the Blitz on her own, his discovery of the mountains, his fierce ambition and the long marriage that gave a sensitive boy the security to find his place in the world. Honours and fame follow the decades of risk and adventure, but nothing could protect him from the devastating fatal illness of his wife Wendy. Open, honest and full of hardwon wisdom, Ascent is the epic saga of an unrepeatable life on the edge.