Friday Inspiration: Ueli Steck Climbing The Eiger.

Looking for a little inspiration for your weekend adventures? Then look no further than the video below which shows Ueli Steck climbing the Eiger when he set a new speed record on that iconic mountain back in 2008. The video is from the film Swiss Machine, that was part of the Reel Rock Tour in 2010 and it is a fine example of what an amazing climber Ueli is.

New Speed Record Set On The Eiger North Face

According to the Mammut Blog, one of their sponsored athletes, Dani Arnold, has set a new speed record on the North Face of the Eiger, speed up the iconic face in just 2 hours, 28 minutes. The 27-year old Swiss climber shaved 20 minutes off the previous record, set by Ueli Steck back in 2008.

Arnold climbed the Heckmair route solo, passing other teams along the way. Setting out just after 9 AM, he was on top of the mountain by 11:33 AM.  Unlike Ueli's ascent from a few years back, he didn't free climb the Hinterstoisser traverse however, as by spring, the route isn't safe for that kind of approach.

The Eiger is one of the most well known and popular climbing destinations in the entire world. Standing 3970 meters (13,025 ft) in height, the mountain was first climbed back in 1858, although the North Face wasn't conquered until 1938. It took the better part of two days to complete that climb, which makes it all the more amazing that modern climbers are topping out in just 2.5 hours.

No word yet on if Ueli will attempt to reclaim the record. After all, he is a bit busy in the Himalaya at the moment.

Alpinist Continues Speed Series Interviews

A couple of weeks back I posted about a fascinating set of articles that had been published at Alpinist.com. Dubbed the "Speed Series" the stories were a set of interviews with some of the top speed climbers on the planet, including Alex Honnold, Sean Leary, and Dean Potter. Since then, there have been two more additions to the Speed Series, putting Ueli Steck and Hans Florine under the microscope.

Part III of the series is with Steck, who, for my money, just might be the strongest climber on the planet. Ueli has set speed records on the Eiger that are simply unbelievable, knocking off that beast in just 2 hours, 47 minutes, 33 seconds. In the interview, Steck talks about what got him started in speed climbing (he began on the Eiger!), how he improved his times on that iconic mountain, and his general approach to the "lifestyle" of climbing. It is an insightful and interesting read about what makes one of the top climbers of this generation tick.

The focus of Part IV is Hans Florine, who has held a number of speed records in Yosemite, including what was once the fastest time up The Nose on El Cap. Hans discusses why he loves climbing in Yosemite Valley, what draws him to speed climbing, and how he got started. (Hint: They were just trying to squeeze in as many climbs as the could!) He also touches on alpine climbing vs. speed climbing, as well has his philosophy on the sport, amongst other things.

I'm not sure if Alpinist has any more interviews such as these planned for the weeks ahead, but I've found them to be excellent to read. Writer Gwen Cameron has done a great job in rounding up some of the best climbers around and allowed us to get inside their heads and see what drives them. Hopefully this will be a regular series for some time.

Trailer For Jeff Lowe's Metanoia Film

Back in the winter of 1991, climber Jeff Lowe spent nine days putting up a new route on the Eiger. After completing that very difficult, and life altering, route, he named it Metanoia. No one has ever been able to duplicate that route ever since. Now, a new film is in the works that will tell the tale of that climb and the impact it had on the alpine world.

Yesterday, I received a note about this film, which is scheduled to be released later this year. In that note, there was a plea for donations to help complete the movie. The production team was seeking $25,000 to do just that. Today, when I clicked on the donations page, I see that they not only reached their goal, they've actually earned nearly $38,000 in the process. Pretty impressive response from the climbing community, and a job well done!

Also, the film interviews climber Ueli Steck about Lowe and the Metanoia climb. Ueli, who is amongst the strongest climbers in the world in my opinion, has nothing but good things to say. He is also gearing up to make an attempt on Metanoia himself. If anyone can climb the route, is is probably Steck.