huber brothers redpoint eternal flame.

The Huber brothers are busy from Antarctica to Pakistan, and most recently finished a job that many other legendary climbers had started.

Alexander and Thomas Huber free climbed Eternal Flame, a 5.13a 19,685-foot granite route runs through the South Buttress of Nameless Tower (20509 feet) among the Trango Group in the Karakoram, during a four-day period of good weather, August 11 through 14.

The route was established by their fellow Germans Kurt Albert, Wolfgang Güllich, Christof Stiegler and Milan Sykora in 1989. The original grade was set at a VI, 5.12c, A2. In the years that followed, climbers from all over the world tried to free the Eternal Flame, but would be turned down by four trying pitches.

In 2003, Denis Burdet from Switzerland free climbed two of the four aid pitches, with difficulties up to 5.13a but could not free the 10th pitch with its bolt ladders and the pendulum of the second pitch over 13 feet of featureless granite.

In 2005, Spanish climber Iker Pou found a possible solution to the problem of the 10th pitch: a variation to the right of the bolt ladders. He could toprope all the moves with difficulties up to 5.13b, but unfortunately, bad weather conditions prevented him from redpointing.

On July 24, it was the Huber brothers' turn. They were fortunate enough to have perfect weather conditions for the free-climb and also for strategizing beforehand.

After acclimatizing for ten days at Camp 2, they previewed the route. Alexander writes, “We wanted to know about the secrets, which the second pitch held for us.”

Unlike climbers before them, they ignored the “featureless” traverse on the second pitch and instead climbed straight up along thin cracks and then traversed left through almost vertical but featured slabs into the crack-system of the Eternal Flame. They named the two pitches Come On Baby and Light My Fire with difficulties up to 5.12a.

After they had investigated the first four pitches the Huber brothers rested for three days and waited for better weather conditions. When a six day period of perfect weather was forecast, they set off immediately, swinging leads.

When they reached the famous 10th pitch, Eternal Burning, they realized that the pervious variation was prone to snow runoff. Thirteen feet to the right, however, a 66-foot crack led up a drier section. The Hubers climbed these pitches and named them Wish You Were Here and Burn for You, grading both 5.12d.

On the August 14 they reach the summit, redpointing the 24 pitches back to back.

Alexander Huber writes, “I take my hat off to the achievement and free climbing instinct of the first ascenders. This route is a true enrichment for mountaineering. With Eternal Flame Kurt Albert and Wolfgang Güllich have passed on the best and most beautiful free climb on the globe. We are thrilled that we could play a little part in developing this route!”

In 1992 Wolfgang died in a car accident. Kurt Albert still lives in Germany and climbs all over the world.