NORTH 6 – with Roger Schäli und Simon Gietl
They are considered as the six greatests of the Alps: the north faces of Cima Grande, Piz Badile, Matterhorn, Eiger, Petit Dru and Grandes Jorasses. Almost 70 years ago, the French mountain guide Gaston Rébuffat already wrote about the shady escapes in his classic “Stars and Storms”: “A dream fulfilled gives birth to a new dream, and now I wanted to conquer all the great north faces.” Mastering them all is a lifetime goal for many mountaineers, the Grand Slam of alpinism. The Swiss Roger Schäli and the South Tyrolean Simon Gietl have climbed all six walls several times. But they, too, have a new dream: their goal is to climb the iconic walls nonstop and to cover the distances between the summits under their own power. When they set out on a cool autumn morning, they have an almost impossible undertaking ahead of them: 1100 kilometers of distance, 30770 meters of ascent and 29470 meters of descent, which they plan to accomplish on road bikes, on foot, on ropes and by paraglider. This is also a special mountain trip for the experienced exceptionalists. Cause they know all that the Great North Walls should only be approached with caution and humility.