1 00:00:07,450 --> 00:00:09,040 - Welcome to the Alps. 2 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,360 This film is brought to you by Holcim, 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,100 a world leader in building materials. 4 00:00:19,150 --> 00:00:22,600 We have our roots here in Switzerland, where people have worked 5 00:00:22,601 --> 00:00:25,060 with the challenges of nature for centuries. 6 00:00:27,740 --> 00:00:32,200 We build for the future so that our children's children can enjoy life 7 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:34,700 in the beauty of landscapes like the Alps. 8 00:00:48,110 --> 00:00:53,200 We proudly present this real-life story of strength, performance, and passion. 9 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,880 Centuries ago, the Alps were insurmountable. 10 00:01:44,780 --> 00:01:47,920 Too tall, too rugged, too steep to cross. 11 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:54,940 Over time, people with ingenuity and courage overcame this great natural barrier. 12 00:01:59,090 --> 00:02:01,800 Climbers are still attracted to these jagged peaks, 13 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,440 none more treacherous than the north face of the Eiger. 14 00:02:14,101 --> 00:02:19,440 The Eiger has cast a long shadow over the life of author and climber John Harlan. 15 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,260 With his wife Adele and his daughter Sienna, 16 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,700 John Harlan has returned to his boyhood home, Switzerland. 17 00:02:29,243 --> 00:02:29,703 - Uno. 18 00:02:30,020 --> 00:02:33,500 - Uno? Ah, how could that be? 19 00:02:34,250 --> 00:02:37,900 All right, let's hope you have any yellows. 20 00:02:38,350 --> 00:02:43,177 Even as a boy, I love the way these hillsides were sculpted by farmers. 21 00:02:46,590 --> 00:02:49,044 Things have changed in 40 years, but respect for 22 00:02:49,056 --> 00:02:51,420 the natural world is still a way of life here. 23 00:02:53,470 --> 00:02:55,905 My main goal for this trip is to pass that 24 00:02:55,917 --> 00:02:58,480 spirit of respect on to my daughter, Sienna. 25 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:01,360 - Where is Switzerland? 26 00:03:01,710 --> 00:03:03,931 - So, there's this area here, just sort of the heart 27 00:03:03,932 --> 00:03:06,400 of the Alps, really, right in the center of Europe. 28 00:03:14,060 --> 00:03:15,302 - How long are we on? 29 00:03:16,436 --> 00:03:20,160 - Well, we're about 700 miles in a big arc stretching 30 00:03:20,310 --> 00:03:22,719 from southern France all the way to Slovenia. 31 00:03:23,302 --> 00:03:23,743 - Oh. 32 00:03:25,210 --> 00:03:27,694 - Europe sits between Africa and Asia, but 33 00:03:27,706 --> 00:03:30,260 the continents didn't always look like this. 34 00:03:33,036 --> 00:03:34,730 Way back in time, the continuously shifting 35 00:03:34,742 --> 00:03:38,640 plates of the earth's surface pushed the continent 36 00:03:38,641 --> 00:03:41,900 of Africa slowly north until it rammed into Europe. 37 00:03:47,197 --> 00:03:50,300 The earth's crust buckled, pushing the ocean floor almost 38 00:03:50,301 --> 00:03:54,900 three miles high, folding bands of rock like an accordion. 39 00:04:03,418 --> 00:04:04,483 I love the Alps. 40 00:04:05,651 --> 00:04:10,516 It speaks to my soul, to my heart to be in this environment. 41 00:06:08,290 --> 00:06:09,480 - The Alps are unique. 42 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,902 Almost 20 million people live here in close harmony with nature. 43 00:06:18,785 --> 00:06:23,660 - You have villages, little villages in just the most improbable of locations. 44 00:06:24,810 --> 00:06:27,440 It's just amazing that you can even get there at all, 45 00:06:27,590 --> 00:06:31,600 let alone have an entire village way up high on the mountainside. 46 00:06:32,475 --> 00:06:37,780 It gives me such a warm sense of being in a culture, a real mountain culture. 47 00:06:40,650 --> 00:06:47,378 As the editor of the American Alpine Journal, I love to write and to climb, 48 00:06:47,403 --> 00:06:51,380 and I've actually climbed now on four continents and done a lot of new routes. 49 00:06:54,740 --> 00:06:59,440 When I was nine, we lived in the Swiss village of Leysin above Lake Geneva. 50 00:07:01,790 --> 00:07:04,840 Dad and I loved to ski together and climb together. 51 00:07:06,365 --> 00:07:10,380 He had a real reverence for the mountains, and he definitely passed that on to me. 52 00:07:13,483 --> 00:07:15,780 We have very fond memories of our times together. 53 00:07:17,055 --> 00:07:18,140 He was my hero. 54 00:07:21,065 --> 00:07:25,940 But when I was nine years old, Dad's obsession with the Eiger took over our lives. 55 00:07:27,617 --> 00:07:31,189 The Eiger is the most dangerous mountain in Europe, and Dad 56 00:07:31,190 --> 00:07:34,580 was determined to put up the hardest route ever attempted. 57 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:37,320 My life would never be the same. 58 00:07:38,020 --> 00:07:41,220 The north face of the Eiger has claimed its 27th victim. 59 00:07:43,571 --> 00:07:47,760 To the dead climber, American John Harlan, the funeral service was solemnly observed 60 00:07:47,761 --> 00:07:51,588 at Lesin, mourned now by his wife, mother, and two children. 61 00:07:53,310 --> 00:07:55,504 I was nine when it happened. 62 00:07:59,090 --> 00:08:05,554 I clearly remember Mom came into the room crying and told us. 63 00:08:06,081 --> 00:08:08,680 I just couldn't quite believe it. 64 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:24,809 It was 40 years ago that Dad died. 65 00:08:26,121 --> 00:08:29,709 Ever since, I've had unfinished business with the Eiger. 66 00:08:31,681 --> 00:08:37,640 Now the time feels right to confront my fears and honor my father. 67 00:08:40,345 --> 00:08:44,453 Before he leaves Switzerland, John hopes to climb the north face 68 00:08:44,478 --> 00:08:48,278 of the Eiger at last and free himself from its shadow. 69 00:08:50,041 --> 00:08:52,233 - I promised Adele that I would not attempt the Eiger without 70 00:08:52,234 --> 00:08:56,778 the very best climbers at my side, Robert and Daniela Jasper. 71 00:08:57,721 --> 00:09:01,928 Robert has made it all the way up the north face of the Eiger a dozen times. 72 00:09:03,938 --> 00:09:07,737 His wife Daniela is also a superb climber. 73 00:09:12,140 --> 00:09:14,355 - Yeah, John was asking where could we do some 74 00:09:14,380 --> 00:09:18,195 training climbs together, and I said, "What about our backyard? 75 00:09:20,067 --> 00:09:22,415 The Jaspers and I both want to develop a 76 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,315 sixth sense about each other and how we climb. 77 00:09:25,934 --> 00:09:29,582 They are every bit as interested in safety as I am. 78 00:10:02,969 --> 00:10:05,657 - When we are on the same rope with John on the Eiger, 79 00:10:05,835 --> 00:10:10,280 we need to know if we can trust each other with our lives. 80 00:10:32,918 --> 00:10:35,800 Warm days make the Eiger too risky to climb. 81 00:10:37,383 --> 00:10:40,796 While we waited for cool weather, I wanted to show Sienna 82 00:10:40,821 --> 00:10:43,222 more of the things that I love about Switzerland. 83 00:10:51,751 --> 00:10:55,311 The mountain passes were once impossible to cross most of the year. 84 00:10:56,961 --> 00:11:00,237 Because of the Alps, the Italian region of Switzerland 85 00:11:00,262 --> 00:11:03,126 developed separately from the French and German parts. 86 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,097 - We're in the southeast tip of Switzerland, 87 00:11:08,109 --> 00:11:10,949 the region of Ticino, where the people speak Italian. 88 00:11:16,361 --> 00:11:20,600 The Verzasca Dam in Ticino is over 200 meters high. 89 00:11:21,250 --> 00:11:24,442 If you stacked nine of these dams on top of each other, 90 00:11:24,827 --> 00:11:27,450 they'd be as tall as the north face of the Eiger. 91 00:11:30,601 --> 00:11:35,491 - I knew when I married John that he wasn't afraid of living life on the edge. 92 00:11:36,103 --> 00:11:37,103 That's who he is. 93 00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:39,247 - This is catching a little bit here. 94 00:11:39,903 --> 00:11:40,903 - It's alright. 95 00:11:41,930 --> 00:11:43,733 And remember to enjoy it, 96 00:11:43,757 --> 00:11:47,280 because this is probably the last time you'll ever do it. 97 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,707 - Don't stop me now 98 00:11:52,129 --> 00:11:53,037 - Ok. 99 00:11:53,062 --> 00:11:54,814 Don't stop me 100 00:11:54,839 --> 00:11:56,946 'Cause I'm havin' a good time 101 00:11:56,971 --> 00:11:58,302 Havin' a good time 102 00:11:58,327 --> 00:12:01,989 I'm a shootin' star, leapin' through the sky like a tiger 103 00:12:02,014 --> 00:12:05,687 Defyin' the laws of gravity 104 00:12:06,042 --> 00:12:08,806 I'm burnin' through the sky, yeah 105 00:12:08,942 --> 00:12:13,247 Two hundred degrees, that's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit 106 00:12:13,624 --> 00:12:16,113 I'm travelling at the speed of light 107 00:12:16,138 --> 00:12:19,247 I wanna make a supersonic man outta you 108 00:12:20,092 --> 00:12:21,284 Don't stop me now 109 00:12:21,309 --> 00:12:23,070 'Cause I'm havin' a good time 110 00:12:23,095 --> 00:12:24,200 Don't stop me now 111 00:12:24,225 --> 00:12:26,155 Yes, I'm havin' a good time 112 00:12:26,180 --> 00:12:31,645 I don't wanna stop at all. 113 00:12:36,467 --> 00:12:39,587 In the Alps, the tremendous influx of people 114 00:12:39,612 --> 00:12:41,087 has raised a new challenge. 115 00:12:41,957 --> 00:12:45,487 How to inhabit these mountains in a way that protects their future. 116 00:12:46,577 --> 00:12:49,376 - The most famous pass to cross the Alps 117 00:12:49,503 --> 00:12:51,603 I met up with professor Bruno Messerly 118 00:12:51,887 --> 00:12:53,652 for his lively insights on the Alps. 119 00:12:59,387 --> 00:13:03,815 Bruno Messerly studies how we as a species interact with these mountains. 120 00:13:05,057 --> 00:13:07,007 To connect with the outside world, 121 00:13:07,217 --> 00:13:07,817 they've had to 122 00:13:07,842 --> 00:13:09,492 tunnel through massive mountains, 123 00:13:09,767 --> 00:13:13,230 bridge valleys and carve roads into huge cliff. 124 00:13:15,707 --> 00:13:17,537 Switzerland looks small on the map 125 00:13:17,747 --> 00:13:20,699 but the mountains give it a large vertical dimension 126 00:13:21,098 --> 00:13:23,920 - I mean this exercise begins several thousand years ago. 127 00:13:24,286 --> 00:13:25,515 People came in here, 128 00:13:25,727 --> 00:13:28,947 and had to adapt to this fantastic landscape. 129 00:13:29,314 --> 00:13:32,987 - So, the same farmer have land in the bottom of the valley and also up in the hill? 130 00:13:33,287 --> 00:13:33,647 - Yes. 131 00:13:34,053 --> 00:13:35,101 It was not easy, 132 00:13:35,537 --> 00:13:37,348 but look here you'll see 133 00:13:37,380 --> 00:13:39,434 at the lower valley bottom, 134 00:13:39,693 --> 00:13:41,956 They could plow, they had barley. 135 00:13:42,183 --> 00:13:43,770 They had the cows, the cattle. 136 00:13:44,117 --> 00:13:45,750 They come to steep slope here up. 137 00:13:45,963 --> 00:13:47,867 And then, there must be the forest. 138 00:13:48,251 --> 00:13:49,944 Then, this again grazing land. 139 00:13:50,753 --> 00:13:52,926 And then begins the stony part, 140 00:13:53,213 --> 00:13:55,067 then comes the snow and the ice. 141 00:13:55,522 --> 00:14:00,088 It is fantastic to have in a vertical structure, all these different fields. 142 00:14:17,186 --> 00:14:19,956 - And what kind of different types of rocks are there in the Alps? 143 00:14:20,689 --> 00:14:23,667 - Ah, there's limestone which is sedimentary. 144 00:14:23,850 --> 00:14:27,134 There's some crystal and rocks of different types including granite. 145 00:14:28,096 --> 00:14:29,726 - And how tall are the Alps? 146 00:14:30,767 --> 00:14:34,018 - Well they go up to fifteen thousand feet or more. 147 00:14:39,527 --> 00:14:42,540 Tectonic uplift is still pushing the Alps higher, 148 00:14:43,187 --> 00:14:46,467 but they are also being torn down by all the forces. 149 00:14:48,767 --> 00:14:51,047 As the rock freezes and thaws, 150 00:14:51,437 --> 00:14:52,900 it eventually cracks. 151 00:14:53,957 --> 00:14:56,270 Gravity and erosion do the rest. 152 00:15:13,397 --> 00:15:17,267 Many of the rocks that slide off these peaks are caught in a way 153 00:15:17,292 --> 00:15:18,229 to the valleys 154 00:15:18,347 --> 00:15:20,637 by the great Alpine glaciers. 155 00:15:25,667 --> 00:15:27,841 Today as the earth warms, 156 00:15:28,328 --> 00:15:32,016 glaciers melt faster than they can be replenished. 157 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:35,340 At this rate, 158 00:15:35,507 --> 00:15:38,409 even the largest Alpine glaciers will shrink 159 00:15:38,434 --> 00:15:41,254 to smaller fragments by the end of the century. 160 00:15:43,547 --> 00:15:44,867 To drive this point home 161 00:15:44,987 --> 00:15:47,927 professor Messerly showed me the alleged glacier 162 00:15:48,257 --> 00:15:50,777 which has retreated two miles since 1850 163 00:15:51,107 --> 00:15:54,995 - It is the longest glacier of the earth, not only of Switzerland, yeah. 164 00:15:55,020 --> 00:15:57,927 so this is longer than all the glaciers that are on Mount Everest. 165 00:15:58,090 --> 00:16:00,297 23 Kilometers here. 166 00:16:00,737 --> 00:16:03,562 - And if the glacier was all the way down here 150 years ago 167 00:16:03,588 --> 00:16:07,127 and now it's up there. Is that retreating even faster now than is was then? 168 00:16:07,337 --> 00:16:09,326 - Yes. We are worried about it. 169 00:16:21,437 --> 00:16:24,477 Glaciers have always gone through cycles. 170 00:16:25,157 --> 00:16:27,121 Each time they advanced, 171 00:16:27,257 --> 00:16:29,537 glaciers helped to reshape the Alps. 172 00:16:29,837 --> 00:16:33,210 - like that but they are always changing even today. 173 00:16:33,290 --> 00:16:34,824 But look. If we have something like... 174 00:16:34,997 --> 00:16:36,857 Today, throughout the Alps, 175 00:16:37,007 --> 00:16:39,037 the Ice Age has left it's mark. 176 00:16:40,637 --> 00:16:44,158 Although glaciers never touched these edges, 177 00:16:44,537 --> 00:16:48,297 they carved away it's space on both sides. 178 00:16:49,037 --> 00:16:51,347 Pulled down by gravity and erosion, 179 00:16:51,647 --> 00:16:53,597 the rock fell off, 180 00:16:54,077 --> 00:16:56,517 leaving this razor's edge. 181 00:17:00,355 --> 00:17:03,172 Glaciers can carve away the base of a mountain, 182 00:17:03,319 --> 00:17:06,684 leaving a single jagged peak called a horn. 183 00:17:07,107 --> 00:17:10,013 The most famous such peak is the Matterhorn. 184 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:19,280 A million years ago, the mountain was broader. 185 00:17:20,930 --> 00:17:24,964 But during the Ice Age, each time the glaciers advanced, 186 00:17:25,177 --> 00:17:29,070 they kept grinding downhill, scooping out, 187 00:17:29,377 --> 00:17:32,377 and gradually whittling away its base. 188 00:17:35,174 --> 00:17:38,777 Each receding glacier left steeper cliffs below 189 00:17:38,896 --> 00:17:41,395 and precarious unsupported rock above, 190 00:17:41,420 --> 00:17:43,782 which collapsed under its own weight. 191 00:17:46,747 --> 00:17:50,273 Throughout the Ice Age, the cycle was repeated 192 00:17:50,298 --> 00:17:55,060 until all that was left was a sharp, towering horn of rock. 193 00:18:11,550 --> 00:18:16,409 At 14,730 feet, this dramatic icon 194 00:18:16,421 --> 00:18:19,589 straddles the border between Italy and Switzerland. 195 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:24,280 - Dad always promised that he and I would climb the Matterhorn together. 196 00:18:24,505 --> 00:18:28,221 We never got the chance, but I've climbed it twice. 197 00:18:28,377 --> 00:18:30,132 - So this is where Whymper stayed, huh? 198 00:18:30,326 --> 00:18:32,767 Edward Whymper was the first to climb the Matterhorn 199 00:18:32,792 --> 00:18:36,783 in 1865, setting out from the village of Zermatt. 200 00:18:36,829 --> 00:18:39,554 - Italians were going up and he had to race them to the top, and... 201 00:18:39,701 --> 00:18:40,262 - Oh, yeah. 202 00:18:40,287 --> 00:18:44,196 - And so he set off from here for the final successful climb. 203 00:18:50,505 --> 00:18:53,939 The Matterhorn was the last great, unclimbed mountain in the Alps. 204 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:13,816 For their first attempt, they kept trying 205 00:19:13,841 --> 00:19:16,842 from the Italian side because it looks easier from a distance, 206 00:19:16,866 --> 00:19:21,280 but in fact, the way the geology of the mountain goes, the holds are 207 00:19:21,281 --> 00:19:24,619 much more in-cut and easier to use on the Swiss side. 208 00:19:31,067 --> 00:19:33,017 Whymper's team made it to the top, 209 00:19:33,510 --> 00:19:35,817 the first ever to stand on this summit. 210 00:19:46,355 --> 00:19:48,634 But on the descent, the rope broke. 211 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,280 Only Whymper and two of his companions survived. 212 00:19:56,355 --> 00:20:00,552 Many thousands of people come to the Matterhorn each winter for one thing,... 213 00:20:00,889 --> 00:20:01,710 snow. 214 00:20:05,830 --> 00:20:08,914 - I study snow to understand the fundamental 215 00:20:08,939 --> 00:20:12,227 processes that can lead to large avalanches. 216 00:20:13,337 --> 00:20:15,905 - My friend Chris Pielmeier is a scientist at 217 00:20:15,930 --> 00:20:18,429 a Swiss institute for avalanche research. 218 00:20:18,527 --> 00:20:19,607 - There goes the avalanche. 219 00:20:24,430 --> 00:20:26,280 It's not just skiers who are at risk. 220 00:20:26,430 --> 00:20:31,365 In one recent winter in the Alps, avalanches killed 42 people and villages. 221 00:20:41,380 --> 00:20:45,651 By redirecting the wind flow, these small and innovative structures 222 00:20:45,675 --> 00:20:47,649 keep snow drifts from accumulating. 223 00:20:49,580 --> 00:20:53,280 You can't stop the full force of a big avalanche once it gets sliding. 224 00:20:53,630 --> 00:20:56,678 You actually have to prevent it from sliding in the first place. 225 00:21:07,044 --> 00:21:09,365 The snowpack consists of many layers held in place by 226 00:21:09,390 --> 00:21:12,877 millions of tiny little bonds between the snow crystals. 227 00:21:14,174 --> 00:21:19,702 By probing the density of each layer, Chris can test the stability of the snowpack. 228 00:21:20,306 --> 00:21:26,256 - The crystals constantly change, so one layer that was stable could become very weak 229 00:21:26,281 --> 00:21:29,140 and a weak layer could become strong in time. 230 00:21:29,730 --> 00:21:33,402 That weak joint can later fail and produce an avalanche. 231 00:21:36,582 --> 00:21:38,951 We trigger avalanches to get information. 232 00:21:39,884 --> 00:21:42,804 In the slide path, we have geophones. 233 00:21:43,281 --> 00:21:45,877 We measure the pressure, the speed. 234 00:21:46,980 --> 00:21:52,280 You only know how powerful it is when you have once measured it. 235 00:22:33,830 --> 00:22:38,739 In 1966, this lonely old hotel at the foot of the Eiger 236 00:22:38,912 --> 00:22:42,560 was the base of operations for Dad's final attempt. 237 00:22:44,281 --> 00:22:48,461 A journalist stood here on the terrace and watched through a telescope 238 00:22:48,486 --> 00:22:50,293 as Dad fell to his death. 239 00:22:53,923 --> 00:22:58,955 Now, this hotel will be our home for a week or a month, whatever it takes. 240 00:23:02,692 --> 00:23:04,684 The Eiger has the worst weather in the Alps. 241 00:23:11,965 --> 00:23:16,200 The north face of the Eiger plummets nonstop for over a mile, 242 00:23:16,530 --> 00:23:19,863 the tallest and the most treacherous wall of rock in Europe. 243 00:23:31,918 --> 00:23:35,280 It's a huge, steep face of loose and crumbling limestone, 244 00:23:35,730 --> 00:23:37,558 the shooting gallery of falling rock. 245 00:23:38,066 --> 00:23:39,598 Even a pebble can kill you. 246 00:23:42,947 --> 00:23:45,967 When it snows, avalanches can knock you off the wall. 247 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,634 But still, we plan to climb when it's cold because there's less rockfall. 248 00:23:53,533 --> 00:23:56,613 The ice and snow lock the loose rock into place. 249 00:24:05,380 --> 00:24:09,965 The summit of the Eiger stands just over 13,000 feet high. 250 00:24:11,730 --> 00:24:15,861 Dad was the first American ever to climb the north face of the Eiger. 251 00:24:19,530 --> 00:24:22,430 Four years later, he set out to climb the Eiger again, 252 00:24:22,799 --> 00:24:26,262 this time by a radical new route straight up the face. 253 00:24:51,455 --> 00:24:56,097 When yet another blizzard hit, Dad and his two teammates were trapped 254 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,697 halfway up the mountain at a place called the Death Bivouac. 255 00:25:01,730 --> 00:25:04,913 Their ropes were suffering from wear and tear. 256 00:25:06,056 --> 00:25:08,547 For nearly two weeks, they lived in a snow cave. 257 00:25:17,134 --> 00:25:22,294 When they got a lull in the storm, they decided to make a final push for the summit. 258 00:25:23,530 --> 00:25:26,293 Dad was going up a rope. 259 00:25:27,959 --> 00:25:30,510 They noticed that the ropes were frayed, 260 00:25:31,038 --> 00:25:33,337 but his teammate thought the rope would hold. 261 00:26:03,330 --> 00:26:05,549 Dad's teammates completed the climb. 262 00:26:06,181 --> 00:26:08,804 They named it in his honor, the John Harlan Route. 263 00:26:12,530 --> 00:26:17,054 I intend to come back from every climb. There's no summit. 264 00:26:17,580 --> 00:26:20,150 There's no climb that's worth dying for, for me. 265 00:26:23,124 --> 00:26:25,119 John's very tense about this climb. 266 00:26:26,543 --> 00:26:27,751 It's a dangerous face. 267 00:26:29,380 --> 00:26:30,636 Is it worth the risk? 268 00:26:33,085 --> 00:26:37,668 John cares very much that his daughter grows up with him. 269 00:26:44,146 --> 00:26:46,973 The key to climbing safely is being methodical. 270 00:26:54,136 --> 00:26:57,214 I think it's something that John needs to do. 271 00:26:59,025 --> 00:27:01,932 I trust that it's important enough to risk what he has. 272 00:27:02,758 --> 00:27:04,636 He knows what he has, and he would only 273 00:27:04,660 --> 00:27:07,492 do something like this if it were that important to him. 274 00:27:10,630 --> 00:27:13,916 He's going to have to work very hard to shut out all the 275 00:27:13,941 --> 00:27:16,427 thoughts that will undoubtedly be creeping through his mind. 276 00:27:18,668 --> 00:27:21,829 And I think when he reaches the point where his... 277 00:27:22,186 --> 00:27:23,504 ...where his father fell, 278 00:27:23,766 --> 00:27:27,234 that is going to be a very emotional moment for him. 279 00:27:30,942 --> 00:27:31,875 - Be careful. 280 00:27:34,261 --> 00:27:36,823 - Everything will be fine. We waited for perfect conditions. 281 00:27:37,281 --> 00:27:39,280 - I love you, Chris. - I love you. 282 00:27:39,281 --> 00:27:40,298 - I love you, too. 283 00:27:41,281 --> 00:27:41,838 - Bye. 284 00:27:42,114 --> 00:27:43,015 - I'll miss you. 285 00:27:44,281 --> 00:27:45,004 - Okay. 286 00:27:46,321 --> 00:27:46,944 - Bye. 287 00:27:56,125 --> 00:28:01,018 Starting the climb was almost like entering a trance. 288 00:28:01,229 --> 00:28:05,711 I was entering this world of a dream that I'd had 289 00:28:05,736 --> 00:28:09,277 for so many years, and now I was finally living it. 290 00:28:15,902 --> 00:28:21,634 I've waited 40 years to set foot on the Eiger, but for the next three days, 291 00:28:22,139 --> 00:28:27,537 I need to put my emotions on hold and try to treat this like any other climb. 292 00:28:30,374 --> 00:28:34,444 Robert was the first person to tell me that the Eiger was his 293 00:28:34,469 --> 00:28:38,814 favorite mountain, a place that was a part of his heart and soul. 294 00:28:39,614 --> 00:28:43,966 And the only other person I knew who felt that way was my father. 295 00:29:11,191 --> 00:29:13,307 - There's a little diagonal that goes to the right, 296 00:29:14,618 --> 00:29:17,063 and Daddy's wearing a yellow jacket. 297 00:29:17,913 --> 00:29:18,913 - I don't see him. 298 00:29:19,279 --> 00:29:20,773 - Keep looking a little closer. 299 00:29:26,285 --> 00:29:30,561 The Eiger is the tallest face in the Alps, and it's over a mile high, 300 00:29:30,586 --> 00:29:34,698 and when you start up it, you see it's a mile high. 301 00:29:40,168 --> 00:29:41,706 This is a three-day climb. 302 00:29:43,012 --> 00:29:45,884 My back is already really hurting me. 303 00:29:49,281 --> 00:29:53,351 When I got to the bivouac and opened my pack, I found a note from my ladies. 304 00:29:54,941 --> 00:29:57,387 Here is John. Embrace this experience. 305 00:29:57,411 --> 00:29:58,966 Think one step at a time. 306 00:29:59,045 --> 00:30:02,587 Remember that we are with you at all times. I love you, Adele. 307 00:30:03,076 --> 00:30:05,002 I love you two, Adele and Siena. 308 00:30:05,027 --> 00:30:07,612 I'm going to love, love, love, love, love all over again. 309 00:30:10,330 --> 00:30:13,346 - We'll have a safe night and climb well tomorrow. 310 00:30:13,913 --> 00:30:18,018 When you climb in the Eiger North Face, you hear the cow bells and the 311 00:30:18,043 --> 00:30:23,128 noises from down there, but in the same time you feel to be very far away. 312 00:30:25,594 --> 00:30:27,596 I'll be lying on one side the whole night, 313 00:30:27,936 --> 00:30:31,146 but I'll be tied in so I don't have to worry about rolling off. 314 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:48,222 Starting out before dawn is spooky. 315 00:30:49,535 --> 00:30:52,242 Robert traversed off to the left and... 316 00:30:52,775 --> 00:30:54,665 ...I came down off the ledge and 317 00:30:54,873 --> 00:30:56,959 then when Daniela was coming down, 318 00:30:57,251 --> 00:30:59,891 her legs were much shorter and she couldn't reach the foothold. 319 00:31:00,671 --> 00:31:02,473 And there was no protection in. 320 00:31:08,845 --> 00:31:11,098 I was stuck on the bivouac ledge. 321 00:31:11,306 --> 00:31:14,184 And I knew if I would jump and miss the foothold, 322 00:31:14,299 --> 00:31:18,612 I would tumble down about 80 feet before the rope could catch me. 323 00:31:30,701 --> 00:31:33,543 She managed to make it down okay, fortunately. 324 00:31:34,538 --> 00:31:36,943 But it was an ominous start to the day. 325 00:31:53,515 --> 00:31:56,101 When you climb the Eiger, I think you cannot avoid thinking 326 00:31:56,126 --> 00:31:58,112 about the people who died in the wall, 327 00:31:58,137 --> 00:32:01,126 especially if you come to certain places where you know there were 328 00:32:01,151 --> 00:32:04,257 big tragedies and you simply have to think about it. 329 00:32:06,162 --> 00:32:09,037 In a way, this also makes the face very special. 330 00:32:09,062 --> 00:32:10,152 It's very alive. 331 00:32:31,525 --> 00:32:36,819 A scary thing about the Eiger is that the rock is often loose and so, 332 00:32:36,892 --> 00:32:40,852 if you fall and the protection doesn't hold, then you can fall a 333 00:32:40,877 --> 00:32:42,412 very long ways. 334 00:32:44,566 --> 00:32:47,194 Even a dangerous climb can be made safer, 335 00:32:47,282 --> 00:32:49,757 if you just approach it intelligently. 336 00:32:53,367 --> 00:32:55,494 We need to secure the ropes to the cliff 337 00:32:55,702 --> 00:33:00,082 so as I go up, I look for good cracks for anchors, where the rock 338 00:33:00,116 --> 00:33:01,341 is solid enough. 339 00:33:03,543 --> 00:33:06,963 But the rock is coated in ice so even with the axes, 340 00:33:07,255 --> 00:33:08,800 it's hard to get a solid grip. 341 00:33:21,937 --> 00:33:24,622 I followed John through all the difficult sections 342 00:33:24,742 --> 00:33:27,342 and I just happened to be looking through the scope 343 00:33:27,902 --> 00:33:29,878 at the moment when he slipped and... 344 00:33:29,903 --> 00:33:31,804 ...naturally my heart stopped. 345 00:34:01,643 --> 00:34:04,434 The weather on the Eiger changes very fast. 346 00:34:05,355 --> 00:34:06,933 Really crazy weather. 347 00:34:08,191 --> 00:34:10,068 Down in the valley you have clear sunshine, 348 00:34:10,093 --> 00:34:12,299 and up there you have a snowstorm. 349 00:34:25,792 --> 00:34:29,129 I have already thought a number of times about my father 350 00:34:29,337 --> 00:34:31,345 and the fact that he came up this route. 351 00:34:32,042 --> 00:34:35,892 And I can't dwell on that too much while I'm climbing. 352 00:34:36,428 --> 00:34:38,096 But we'll see what happens overnight. 353 00:34:38,305 --> 00:34:39,726 I have a long night coming up. 354 00:34:55,530 --> 00:34:58,950 Dad was bivouacked on a ledge like this when he scribbled 355 00:34:58,975 --> 00:35:00,459 a final note to us: 356 00:35:02,787 --> 00:35:04,956 "We're hoping to make the top in a few days 357 00:35:05,248 --> 00:35:07,709 but we're being very safe so don't worry. 358 00:35:07,918 --> 00:35:10,950 I love you all very, very much. Dad." 359 00:35:23,451 --> 00:35:26,538 After we passed the spot where Dad's rope had broken, 360 00:35:26,946 --> 00:35:28,515 I glanced back. 361 00:35:29,397 --> 00:35:32,750 I'd been trying to get past that place for 40 years. 362 00:35:34,402 --> 00:35:39,081 I flung my grief and fear off the mountain, and kept going. 363 00:36:23,910 --> 00:36:26,670 Up here, so high on the face 364 00:36:27,113 --> 00:36:29,324 we're beyond the point of no return. 365 00:36:31,501 --> 00:36:33,176 It's terrifying in a way 366 00:36:33,201 --> 00:36:35,262 because you know you can't go back down... 367 00:36:35,712 --> 00:36:36,582 ...only up. 368 00:38:09,474 --> 00:38:11,917 The weight of forty years is lifted. 369 00:38:12,936 --> 00:38:16,423 But I was emotionally exhausted and so was Daniela. 370 00:38:32,455 --> 00:38:33,538 - Oh, God. 371 00:38:35,667 --> 00:38:36,561 - Great. 372 00:38:49,848 --> 00:38:53,754 For me, this climb has helped heal an old wound. 373 00:38:55,437 --> 00:38:59,554 But instead of focusing on my connection with Dad like I expected, 374 00:39:00,191 --> 00:39:03,275 I felt much closer to my wife and daughter, 375 00:39:03,862 --> 00:39:07,240 who stood by me while I did what I had to do. 376 00:39:07,449 --> 00:39:08,827 - We'll see you really soon, okay? 377 00:39:09,868 --> 00:39:10,863 - I love you too. 378 00:39:15,106 --> 00:39:19,711 By the time I got to the summit my back pain was getting much worse. 379 00:39:22,839 --> 00:39:25,596 Robert persuaded me to get lifted off the mountain. 380 00:39:27,385 --> 00:39:29,365 This was no easy decision for me. 381 00:39:32,690 --> 00:39:34,773 I really wanted to keep going, 382 00:39:35,507 --> 00:39:36,923 but I knew he was right. 383 00:40:10,303 --> 00:40:13,932 When I landed in the, in the field, and I saw my kids there, 384 00:40:14,081 --> 00:40:15,757 I just felt so great. 385 00:40:16,367 --> 00:40:18,240 It was so good to have them back. 386 00:40:28,780 --> 00:40:32,117 Often the way down is much more dangerous than the way up, 387 00:40:32,325 --> 00:40:34,102 because you are really tired, 388 00:40:34,126 --> 00:40:36,851 and so you must think about every step. 389 00:40:54,347 --> 00:40:57,036 Just a little jolt of adrenaline there at the very end. 390 00:41:05,316 --> 00:41:07,419 - Congratulations. - Yeah, thank you. 391 00:41:25,879 --> 00:41:27,799 The emotional struggle that I... 392 00:41:28,365 --> 00:41:30,967 ...went through on the Eiger was worth it, 393 00:41:30,992 --> 00:41:36,371 because it has allowed me to connect Siena with this 394 00:41:36,781 --> 00:41:39,734 love for the mountains that I felt as a boy. 395 00:41:43,271 --> 00:41:46,733 But I have one more stop to make back to the town of Leysin 396 00:41:46,758 --> 00:41:47,786 where I grew up. 397 00:41:50,778 --> 00:41:53,476 Dad was buried here in a snowstorm. 398 00:41:54,824 --> 00:42:00,734 When I was here before, it had always been a very sad experience, 399 00:42:01,372 --> 00:42:06,286 but this time I felt, I felt like I'd been freed in many ways. 400 00:42:06,870 --> 00:42:12,000 Like I'd done the climb and honored my father and moved on. 401 00:42:12,508 --> 00:42:14,974 It was almost a liberating experience to be here. 402 00:42:19,724 --> 00:42:21,944 These mountains attract strong people. 403 00:42:22,936 --> 00:42:24,069 They always have. 404 00:42:26,522 --> 00:42:30,360 The Alps embrace us, just as they welcomed the first settlers 405 00:42:30,568 --> 00:42:33,471 who looked up at these peaks many centuries ago, 406 00:42:34,364 --> 00:42:35,555 and said to themselves... 407 00:42:36,084 --> 00:42:37,437 "We belong here".