Eiger-Nordwand

The news from July 24, 1938, was a sensation: The four climbers Anderl Heckmair, Wiggerl Vörg, Heinrich Harrer, and Fritz Kasparek were the first people to successfully ascend the Eiger North Face, partly because their crampons had front points. "At that time, however, all our predecessors perished due to the still undeveloped and improper equipment," explains Heckmair. The two professional climbers Stephan Siegrist and Michal Pitelka from Interlaken want to retrace what happened during the first ascent of the North Face. They prepare for a year and search for the old equipment, interview the surviving first ascenders Anderl Heckmair and Heinrich Harrer, have hemp ropes twisted according to historical patterns, have shoes made, and have crampons forged. The photographer and cameraman Thomas Ulrich.