Dave Pagel

Check out Dave Pagel's author page.

In July 1938, when Anderl Heckmair and Ludwig Vörg arrived with a secret intent, the North Face of the Eiger had been seriously attempted by eight climbers and only survived by two, which included Vörg himself. The year 1936 had seen a particularly wrenching drama when the Bavarian mountaineer Toni Kurz, struggling to the end, died within sight of his frantic rescuers. The below article introduces us to Heckmair, the force behind the great breakthrough ascent of that foreboding face. On their ascent, Heckmair and Vörg, both from Germany, found themselves preceded by a day by two Austrians, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek. Aided by fixed ropes, the second party caught up with the first, and the rival teams joined forces. Heckmair then navigated and led the upper, most difficult, pitches. Their success was hailed by the international media and even led to a personal congratulation by the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. In 1989, the American climber and writer David Pagel, a self-deprecating humorist (vastly quoted by other climbers), climbed—much to his apparent surprise—the Eiger Nordwand, which led to the realization of an even bigger dream: meeting Heckmair. Ten years later, Ascent published “Dinner.” Heckmair died in 2005 at age 98.