Page 23 - 1995 Mountaineering Club Bulletin

Many ambitious plans are born during the RN & RM Mountaineering Club AGM at the Tyn-y-Coed Hotel. Last year’s was no exception, not only would Nobby Clarke and Billy Bremner do a horrendous E4 the next day (later cancelled due to hangovers) but they would also climb the Eiger during the fol­ lowing Summer Leave.
The guide book was consulted and this read as follows
The Eiger: (With the possible exception of the Matterhorn) More has been written about this mountain in the depart­ ment ofpopular journalism than any other in the Alps. The peak is essentially severe in character and with few con­ trasts; it lacks pleasant snow climbing. The rock is mainly lime stone, bad to fair, giving varied climbing with intervals on snow or ice. There are no easy routes.
North-East (Mittellegi) Ridge:
A famous rock climb with an epic history ending with the placing of fixed ropes on the most serious sections. The ear­ liest attempt dates from 1874 and later some of the most skilled amateurs and guides of the age were involved in try­ ing to force the ridge. It remained unsealed until 1921.
The Gendarmes are very steep, exposed and mostly ofpoor rock; the climbing is always serious and competence on rock is essen­ tial. Even with the fixed ropes the route is strenuous, with the Alpine standard of AD in good conditions.
The outline programme was to drive in private transport from UK down through Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany to Switzerland. In Switzerland the team would set up a base camp in Grindelwald and from there the primary aim of the expedition was to climb to the summit of the Eiger 3970m via the classic route, the Mittellegi Ridge, and the secondary aim would be to climb 2 of the other major peaks in the Bernese Oberland, name­ ly Jungfrau 4158m and Monch 4099m. The expedition was lim­ ited to 2 men as it was considered that a 2 man team would be able to move more easily and hence more safely than a larger group. Application was made for approval of the climb as a Major Adventurous Training Expedition through DNPTS and authori­ ty was also given for food to be purchased locally using CILOR.
The team mustered at Portsmouth on Friday 4 August 1995, sort­ ed out kit and then loaded Billy’s car it is amazing how much kit disappears into an estate, and then after a bit of re-packing there was even enough room for a driver and passenger. After an uneventful night crossing, we began the long drive and made good progress until the last leg when there was a car crash on the road to Grindelwald which meant a 2 hour delay before we could complete our journey. Eventually arrived at Grindelwald on the Saturday evening and put up the tents in the pouring rain.
We awoke on the Sunday to dull, overcast skies and set off to the Guides Office for an up-to-date weather forecast and to get answers to a few questions about the route. Unfortunately the
Nobby and Billy on the summit of the Eiger
short term forecast was for high winds, snow in the mountains and rain in the valleys, however there was a possibility of a break in the weather towards the end of the week. The next 2 days were then spent in a wet tent, watching thunderstorms, going swim­ ming and visiting the McDonalds in Interlaken!
Finally on Wednesday 9 August our wait was over, and as our alarms went off at 0555 we awoke to clear skies and the summit of the Eiger clearly visible. We dropped camp and got to the train station for the first train up the hill at 0719. We negotiated a spe­ cial climbers ticket, take the first train of the day and return from Jungfraujoch before 1200 all at the knock-down price of 99 CHF (only £54!) each. Thinking that there would be only one train, we were quite surprised when there were about 10 all packed with Japanese families. It was also a shock that at that price we still could not get a seat.
On arriving at Eismeer Station 3159m we slinked off from the tourists and geared up., then had a picnic in order to reduce the weight of our bergans. We made our way down a dark gloomy tunnel with lots of warning signs “The railway no longer accepts responsibility...”, “Beyond ‘ere be dragons..” and found an exit window with a 40m vertical drop to the glacier below. There then followed a horrendous abseil, only made enjoyable by the fact that we had loads of photographs taken of us by the Japanese tourists.
Once on the glacier we began to traverse and found the usual exit window at glacier level - a good start! We traversed the glacier then cut up to a rock band. There was then a rather hairy rising traverse up to the Mittellegi Hut at 3355m. The view down the North Face was spectacular - not for those with a feint heart or vertigo. We quickly introduced ourselves to the charming Guardienne Simonne and then mellowed out for the afternoon, chatting with our fellow climbers who were arriving throughout the afternoon. After an enormous supper we retired onto the rock veranda, and in absolutely superb surroundings we contem­ plated what challenges lay ahead.
ANNUAL BULLETIN
Expedition to Climb the Eiger "Alpine Chuff" 4-12 August 1995
THE ROYAL NAVY & ROYAL MARINES MOUNTAINEERING CLUB
21