Direttissima: The Eiger Assault by Gillman & Haston (1966)

The climb that made the world hold its breath. By Peter Gillman and Dougal Haston.

Published in the UK under the title Eiger Direct, this book describes the 1966 climb of the "Eiger Direct" - a route that went as straight as possible up the Eiger North Face.

Two teams competed on the climb: a four-man US/UK team led by John Harlin II, and an eight-man German team led by Peter Haag and Jörg Lehne. Poor weather forced the two teams into using siege-style tactics: fixing ropes and shuttling up and down from the hotel at Kleine Schiedegg to bivouacs and back. Layton Kor, American legend, actually GAINED weight on the almost month-long climb.

Tragically, John Harlin II met his doom on this climb due to those very same tactics. A 7mm fixed rope he was ascending snapped, and he fell to his death. Haston & some of the Germans, who were above the snapped line, finished the climb, which became known as the John Harlin Memorial Route.

The climb attracted quite a lot of media attention, as it dragged out over many weeks and had the element of national competition between the two teams. Author Peter Gillman covered the climb as a reporter, and he joined forces with Dougal Haston, the only member of Harlin's team to make the summit, to tell the complete story of the "expedition" in this book.

Hardcover, 174 pages, with some excellent photographs throughout, both in color and b&w.