The Eiger

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Photo by flickr user erictitcombe

Rising out of the Bernese Alps to an elevation of 3,970metres, the Eiger is the rockier, steeper end of the chain of three peaks including Jungfrau (the Maiden) and Mönch (the Monk). Eiger means Ogre. It's also famous for being in the title of a famous novel called The Eiger Sanction, which was made into a Clint Eastwood film – it's a story about climbing the Eiger, so that might be why this peak is more famous than the other two?

In 2006 a big chunk of the Eiger fell off, which is why there's a bit bare patch on the eastern face.

The first recorded summit of the Eiger was in 1858, up the west flank, which is still the most popular route to the summit – that is if you're not going up via the Jungfraubahn railway, which runs up a tunnel built inside the mountain, stopping at two viewing windows looking out of the mountain – the top one is Europe's highest railway station.

The nearest village is Grindelwald, but Interlaken is larger, and only a little further.

Written by  World Reviewer Staff.

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