Alpinists Cycle and Climb Four Famous North Faces, Two to Go
The two hope to beat the weather and climb the final classic lines located in Chamonix
Alpine climbers Simon Gietl and Roger Schäli have climbed four of the famous six great north faces in the Alps, and are currently cycling to the final two.
After leaving at the start of September, they went on to climb Via Comici on Cima Grande di Lavaredo, Cassin on Pizzo Badile, Chant Du Cygne on the Eiger, and the Schmid route on the Matterhorn. From the Eiger to the Matterhorn, they cycled over 180 km and climbed over 3,000 m of elevation. Their most recent climb up the Matterhorn involved waiting out bad weather for 12 hours in a hut.
The duo are climbing the six north faces as part of their North6 Project. They’re now cycling to Chamonix where they’ll attempt to climb the Grandes Jorasses and Petit Dru. Follow them below for daily updates.
French climber Gaston Rébuffat was the first to climb all six north faces, and his 1954 book Etoiles et Tempêtes (Starlight and Storm) focuses on his ascents. We’ve reached out to Gietl and Schäli, and hope to hear from them after the completion of their North6 project.
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