Alpine Studio Eiger La direttissima climbing book

Alpine Studio Eiger la direttissima is a climbing book about the tragedy on the Eiger North Face in 1966. For decades, this wall was known as the most dangerous climb in the Alps and claimed the lives of many mountaineers. In February 1966, two teams, one German and the other Anglo-American, aimed to climb it by a new route, a direttissima. When they arrived at the base of the wall, the two teams knew almost nothing about each other's attempt.

John Harlin led the four-man Anglo-American team and intended to make an alpine-style ascent in good weather. The Germans, on the other hand, with an eight-man rope team, had planned a relentless Himalayan-style ascent, whatever the weather.

Eiger Direct, first published in 1966, is the story of risk and unwavering endurance, with mountaineers facing storms, frostbite and finally the great tragedy: the disappearance of John Harlin.

The authors of the book were the main protagonists as the dramatic events unfolded. The award-winning writer Peter Gillman was the correspondent of the 'Telegraph', and lived in close contact with the climbers, communicating with them via radio and observing them. In contrast, Dougal Haston was a member of Harlin's rope team, a great climber who led the way on many key passages of the wall during the storm.