2. Europe

Switzerland 2007

Switzerland 2007
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The beginning of the route actually has a few ladders to help climb the super crumbly rock sections. We donned our harness's and climbed up through the mess. I had a helmet this time although Patrick did not.
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The beginning of the route actually has a few ladders to help climb the super crumbly rock sections. We donned our harness's and climbed up through the mess. I had a helmet this time although Patrick did not.

swissSwitzerlandKlettersteig RotstockEiger

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  • Staubbach Falls is claimed as the tallest waterfall in Switzerland and I had a good view of it from my tent window. Behind the waterfall you can see the walkway.
  • I wondered on if I would like to be buried here. I think this would be a good place to be. Certainly if you could still sense your surroundings after death I would love to be in such a beautiful place. Staubbach falls is in the background.
  • I had been in Lauterbrunnen for a few days and it had been raining each day. There were several times when the sun peeked out but not for long and I was not able to see the towering summits of the peaks around. I met up with a guy named Patrick as we had talked online about doing some climbing in the area. Instead we took a trip into Trümmelbach Falls. The Trümmelbach is a series of waterfalls coming through a mountain that you can pay $11 Swiss Franks to walk through the tunnel and bridge systems they have built. It is a worth while trip and I do recommend it if you go to Lauterbrunnen.
  • We walked through the caverns and tunnels as waterfalls peaked through cracks in the rocks. The natural lights combined with artificial to light up another world.
  • Meandering through the caves was a wonderful experience. It is impressive to think of the amount of rock that has been widdled away by the water. We also made note of the anchors throughout the waterfall which meant canyoneering. In pictures of the falls you will most likely see a picture of this waterfall, Patrick in this photo.
  • Another picture of the waterfall inside of Trummelbach Falls.
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  • After 3 days Jee had hopped on a train for Czech slightly angry at the fact that it was beautiful blue sky surrounding the entire valley. The first day in 7 that she had been there. Patrick and I decided not to waste this incredible day and headed up to the Kletterstieg Rotstock at the base of the Eiger. We still wanted to conserve as much money as possible so we took a one way ticket up to Kleine Scheidegg and walked to the base of the route from there. The train up led to some fantastic views and I still remember Patrick saying "Oh, thats what its supposed to look like." Jungfrau Peak, the highest in the region, can be seen on the left. Lauterbrunnen is nestled within the valley below.
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  • Jungfrau (or Virgin if translated) is mass imposing over the valley of beautiful green. We could hear snow crashing down the peak the entire time we were in the upper valley and while we were on our trip several Swiss Army recruits lost their lives on its massive wall.
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  • Called the Top Of Europe this station is the highest in all of Europe. Can you find it perched on its loft?
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  • After arriving in Kleine Scheidegg we got a short glimpse of the Eiger. This peak had been in my dreams for the last few days as one of the most imposing and well known walls in the entire area. One of the greatest mountaineering movies from Hollywood is often said to be The Eiger Sanction. The Eiger Nordwand wall was the last of the great faces to be climbed in the area and it killed the first 9 people to try it. Since then over 50 have died climbing its crumbly and inconsistent face.
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  • Here is another shot of this 6000ft. face where route features are given names that do not give confidence to the route, the Difficult Crack,the Death Bivouac. Owning up to its reputation (Eiger translates to Ogre) the Eiger itself never saw much sunlight. We had lots of views of the both Monk and Jungfrau.
  • The Eiger Nordwand is on the left and the subpeak on the right is called The Rotstock (2663 meters). We would be climbing directly between the two and once again into the clouds.
  • The beginning of the route actually has a few ladders to help climb the super crumbly rock sections. We donned our harness's and climbed up through the mess. I had a helmet this time although Patrick did not.
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