Eiger
3,967 m
Switzerland
Also known as Айгер, Άιγκερ, +1Also known as
Айгер · Άιγκερ · гора Айгер
- Elevation
- 3,967 m
- Prominence
- 361 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: SAC ZS (AD) (SAC route portal) · Camptocamp: AD, engagement IV (Camptocamp)
The first-ascent line of 1858 and the usual descent route: 1,650 m of loose ledges, gullies and rock steps from Eigergletscher station up the west flank to the west ridge above the North Face, then snow and rock to the summit. Technically moderate but long, complex to navigate and dangerous in poor visibility or after snow.
About 64% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 3 check notes
- 63% approximate geometry
- Rotstock → Eiger: dem (snap_failed, 1.9 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Kanzeli, West ridge point 3668
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 3.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,658 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,967 m
- Time Up
- 5h 56m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 45m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Take the Jungfrau Railway from Kleine Scheidegg to Eigergletscher station (2,320 m). A faint path zigzags up shale-covered slabs behind the Rotstock to the small col between the Rotstock and the lower rocks of the Eiger at about 2,600 m (under an hour); alternatively the easy Rotstock via ferrata leads to the same point in about 2 hours. Some parties bivouac on a ledge at about 3,060 m to split the climb. Above, the route weaves up rubble-covered ledges and short rock steps (cairns, occasional fixed rope), approaches the edge of the North Face near the Kanzeli, then makes a long rising traverse right across the face, crossing gullies and turning two large spurs above a snowfield. A line of cemented iron stakes and pitons then leads steeply back up to the west ridge at about 3,668 m, directly above the North Face. Follow the ridge, bypass the false summit on its right on steep snow or mixed ground, and climb the final snowy crest to the summit. Rock pitches reach about UIAA III-, and snow slopes up to about 40–50° can be icy. Allow 6–8 hours. Descend the same way in 4–5 hours, using the line of cemented stakes to abseil about 500 m of the upper face. Route-finding on the lower and middle flank is notoriously difficult, especially in descent for parties who did not come up this way; memorise key features on the way up. The upper rock is very loose and hard to protect when dry. The flank sees regular accidents in mist, storms and fresh snow.
Start
Eigergletscher2,322 m
- Jungfrau Railway (Kleine Scheidegg – Eigergletscher); Eiger Express gondola from Grindelwald Terminal to Eigergletscher
- Train from Interlaken to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen/Wengen, on to Kleine Scheidegg, then the Jungfrau Railway to Eigergletscher.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eigergletscher → Eiger | 3.0 | 1,658 | 18 | 5h 56m |
Waypoints
- Station: Eigergletscher2,322 m
- Feature: Rotstock2,648 m
The route passes the col behind the Rotstock at about 2,600 m
- Summit: Eiger3,967 m
Key Passages
- Col behind the Rotstock (start of the flank)
- Kanzeli and the edge of the North Face
- Long rising traverse across the flank above the snowfield
- Cemented abseil stakes up to point 3668 on the west ridge
- Bypass of the false summit and the final snow crest
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 59%Overview
The 3,967 m Eiger above Grindelwald, famous for its 1,800 m North Face. Climbers who are not after the face go up by the loose, complex west flank (AD) or the fixed-rope Mittellegi Ridge (D), both serious high-mountain days reached by the Jungfrau Railway.
The Eiger is the easternmost of the three peaks above Grindelwald and the Lauterbrunnen valley, alongside the Mönch and the Jungfrau. Its North Face, the Eigerwand, drops 1,800 m to the Alpine meadows of Kleine Scheidegg and is one of the most storied walls in climbing. The Jungfrau Railway tunnels through the mountain, and its Eigergletscher and Eismeer stations give unusually fast access to the routes.
The easiest route, the west flank, is graded AD (SAC ZS) with moves of UIAA III-: about 1,650 m of rubble ledges, gullies and short rock steps, with snow and ice near the top. It is the usual descent for all routes, and it is easy to lose the line in mist. The Mittellegi Ridge, approached from the Eismeer station via a hut built on the ridge, is the most popular route: a long, airy crest of good rock with over 200 m of fixed ropes, graded D by the SAC. Most Mittellegi parties descend by the south ridge to the Jungfraujoch.
None of these routes is a walk. Expect exposure, loose rock on the west flank, glacier on the Mittellegi approach and south-ridge descent, and fast-changing weather on a mountain known for building its own clouds. Many climbers go with a local guide.
Climbing Notes
For the west flank you need to move confidently and quickly, mostly unroped, over loose grade II–III terrain and steep snow in crampons, and to navigate complex ground, often in mist. For the Mittellegi you also need efficient rope work on a long ridge (fixed ropes, abseils) and glacier skills for the approach and the south-ridge descent. Acclimatise with a few days above 3,000 m; the Mönch is a common warm-up.
Typical itineraries: the west flank is usually done in a long single day from the first train to Eigergletscher (6–8 hours up, 4–5 hours down), sometimes split with a bivouac at about 3,060 m. The Mittellegi takes two days: train to Eismeer and 1.5–2.5 hours to the Mittellegi Hut, then 4–5 hours to the summit and about 4–5 hours down the south ridge to the Jungfraujoch for the last train.
Check train times in advance, as the timetable dictates the day. Avoid the routes after fresh snow, which turns the west flank's ledges dangerous and slows the Mittellegi. Climbing with a Grindelwald or Interlaken IFMGA guide is common, especially on the Mittellegi.
History
Charles Barrington, with the Grindelwald guides Christian Almer and Peter Bohren, made the first ascent by the west flank and west ridge on 11 August 1858. The south ridge was first climbed on 31 July 1876 by George Edward Foster with Hans Baumann and Ulrich Rubi. The Mittellegi Ridge, long a celebrated problem, was first climbed on 10 September 1921 by the Japanese climber Yuko Maki with the guides Fritz Amatter, Fritz Steuri and Samuel Brawand; the first Mittellegi Hut was built in 1924 and replaced in 2001, when the original hut was flown out to serve as a museum. Hans Lauper and Alfred Zürcher with Alexander Graven and Josef Knubel climbed the north-east face on 20 August 1932. The North Face was first climbed in 1938 by Anderl Heckmair, Ludwig Vörg, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; west flank occasionally skied by experts in spring
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- West flank sometimes skied in good spring conditions; expert ski-mountaineers only
- May
- Lingering snow; huts closed
- Jun
- Mittellegi Hut partially open; routes often snowy
- Jul
- Main season; Mittellegi Hut fully open
- Aug
- Main season; watch for afternoon storms
- Sep
- Often good and dry; Mittellegi Hut partially open
- Oct
- Hut closed; short days, early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Mittellegihütte (SAC): +41 33 853 03 66 or via www.mittellegi.ch. Mönchsjochhütte for the south-ridge side: www.moenchsjoch.ch.
- Fees
- Jungfrau Railway tickets to Eigergletscher, Eismeer or the Jungfraujoch (expensive; Camptocamp reported CHF 82 Grindelwald Grund–Eismeer and CHF 108 Jungfraujoch–Grindelwald in 2022)
- Parking at Grindelwald Grund or Grindelwald Terminal
- Rules
- Route timing is constrained by the Jungfrau Railway timetable for both access and return
- Getting There
Grindelwald
Bern (BRN); Zurich (ZRH) or Geneva (GVA) by train
- Train to Interlaken Ost, then the Berner Oberland Bahn to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen
- Grindelwald Terminal: Eiger Express gondola to Eigergletscher
- Wengernalp Railway from Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen/Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, then the Jungfrau Railway to Eigergletscher, Eismeer or the Jungfraujoch
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Glacier
- Crevasses
Huts & Shelters
1- 3,355 m
MittellegihütteHutStaffed
36 beds · Fully staffed July–August, partially staffed June and September, closed October–May