The Eiger

The Eiger reaches 3,967 metres, which does not put it among the highest Alpine peaks, and its fame rests almost entirely on one wall. The Nordwand rises about eighteen hundred metres above the meadows at Alpiglen in a concave sweep that traps bad weather, sheds rockfall down its own line, and stays in shadow - conditions that killed repeatedly through the 1930s attempts and gave the face the nickname Mordwand, the murder wall, in the German press. It was first climbed in July 1938 by Heckmair, Vörg, Harrer and Kasparek. The Jungfrau railway tunnels through the mountain behind the face, with a window gallery at Eigerwand that was used in rescue attempts on the face. From Kleine Scheidegg the whole wall stands directly opposite.

The landscape

• An 1,800-metre concave wall - the north face rising straight from the meadows.
• A railway inside the mountain - the Jungfrau line tunnelling behind the face.
• Kleine Scheidegg - the meadow terrace that watches the wall head-on.
• The 1938 line - the route Heckmair's party finally climbed.

When to go

June to September for clear viewing. A day.

Things to know

The face is in cloud on a large share of days, and the classic view needs settled weather. Watching climbers realistically needs a telescope. The railway to the Jungfraujoch is one of the most expensive in Europe. Alpiglen and Kleine Scheidegg are the free viewpoints.

Nearby

Grindelwald is below; Kleine Scheidegg and Wengen are along the railway.

Key facts