The North Face of the Eiger
Bishop
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Grindelwald
Thursday, August 13, 1998
 Hear the Call from Switzerland
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Hey guys, this is Brent calling. I'm in Switzerland. Let's see, I've never been here but it is... the weather is moody where we are. It's entirely too orderly - coming from Montana - and the beer is actually pretty good.
We're in Grindelwald, it's a little town below the Kleine Scheidegg, which is where you leave for the Eiger. We're in a campground, very European, we're all sort of camped next to each other, quite orderly though. It's seven bucks a night and you get a shower and everyone is real friendly and you look up at these big walls all around you from here and it just sort of blows you away. I definitely feel like I'm in a postcard, all these little Swiss homes and chalets; everything manicured including every bit of grass has got a pretty little cow and a bell on it.
The weather should clear, right now
it's the hurry up and wait game. Sort of moody, to say the least, with some spatterings of rain and these mountains are sort of looming in and out of the mist and clouds. It's amazing to be here in the cradle of alpine history. Anyway, I'll give you a call tomorrow, we'll probably go up there even in the bad weather and take a look at it just to see what the route looks like if we can and look at the conditions even in the bad weather, just how wet it is, what the snow fields look like, so on and so forth. Anyway, we're having fun and I'll be in touch. Take care, guys. Bye.
— Brent Bishop, Mountain Zone Contributor
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Expedition Updates
[Return to Index]
NOT THIS YEAR
[August 24, '98]
Weather is plaguing the climbers as they move around, in Chamonix it's "misearble." Brent reports the Eiger isn't going to happen.
OFF TO CHAMONIX AND BETTER WEATHER
[August 18, '98]
There's not a "chance in hell" of climbing the waterfall known as the Eiger right now so it's off to Chamonix.
IT'S MELTING, IT'S MELTING
[August 16, '98]
The warm weather has transformed the North Face into one enormous waterfall.
HANGING AND CRAGGING
[August 14, '98]
The local cragging scene is pretty stellar but the weather remains warm.
GRINDELWALD: HURRY UP AND WAIT
[August 13, '98]
We've arrived in Switzerland and will check on the Eiger tomorrow.
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