Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Already have an account? Sign In

Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Already have an account? Sign In

Brands

News

Ueli Steck Reclaims Eiger Speed Record

Ueli Steck set the record in 2007—at 3 hours 54 minutes. Not satisfied, he returned to the Eiger North Face the following winter. Steck shaved an hour off his own solo speed record with the unthinkable time of 2 hours 47 minutes. Yesterday, he broke it again.

Lock Icon

Unlock this article and more benefits with 40% off.

Already have an Outside Account? Sign in

Outside+ Logo

40% Off Outside+.
$4.99/month $2.99/month*

Get the one subscription to fuel all your adventures.


  • Map your next adventure with our premium GPS apps: Gaia GPS Premium and Trailforks Pro.
  • Read unlimited digital content from 15+ brands, including Outside Magazine, Triathlete, Ski, Trail Runner, and VeloNews.
  • Watch 600+ hours of endurance challenges, cycling and skiing action, and travel documentaries.
  • Learn from the pros with expert-led online courses.
Join Outside+

*Outside memberships are billed annually. Print subscriptions available to U.S. residents only. You may cancel your membership at anytime, but no refunds will be issued for payments already made. Upon cancellation, you will have access to your membership through the end of your paid year. More Details

The Swiss Machine soloing the Eiger North Face in 2008. Photo: Robert Boesch.
The Swiss Machine soloing the Eiger North Face in 2008. Photo: Robert Boesch.

Ueli Steck set the record in 2007at 3 hours 54 minutes. Not satisfied, he returned to the Eiger North Face the following winter. Steck shaved an hour off his own solo speed record with the unthinkable time of 2 hours 47 minutes. Yesterday, he broke it again.

Steck, 39, soloed the Heckmair Route (ED2, 1800m, FA 1938) on the North Face of the Eiger in 2 hours 22 minutes and 50 seconds—beating his previous record by 25 minutes and Dani Arnold’s 2011 solo record* of 2 hours 28 minutes. When Steck uploaded the stats from his GPS watch, among time, distance, altitude and speed, it reported an average intensity of “moderate.” Ueli Steck is, the Swiss Machine.

“Now I know the difference between 2008 and 2015,” Steck tells his sponsor, Mountain Hardwear. “Today I had a good track, good conditions and I was pulling some gear that made it quite safe and I believe it makes much more sense this way.”

Last year, during a slideshow at Nat. Geo. in Washington, D.C., Steck said his Annapurna solo was his last climb of that calibre—the new Ueli Steck, in his “old age,” would be a safer Ueli Steck.

In reference to breaking the Eiger speed record, for the third time, Steck says, “I didn‘t push myself as hard as in 2008. This makes this ascent a beautiful experience and a great day.

“Furthermore, it is a new record, but this was a result of the specific conditions. We can never compare ascents [on] a face like the Eiger. Conditions and weather are always different.

“But this is what makes alpinism interesting and unique. For me it is the personal challenge and your own experience that really matters.”

Not only did Steck set a new solo speed record, he also claimed the Eiger North Face team speed record with Nicolas Hojac [update: and Kilian Jornet]. They climbed the Heckmair Route and bested Roger Schaeli and Simon Gietl’s 2011 record of 4 hours 25 minutes with a time of 3 hours 46 minutes.

Click here to read the Q&A with Ueli Steck 
On the summit - time: 2 hours 22 minutes 50 seconds. Photo courtesy of Ueli Steck.
On the summit – time: 2 hours 22 minutes 50 seconds. Photo courtesy of Ueli Steck.
Ueli Steck on his record breaking solo of the Eiger North Face. Photo courtesy of Ueli Steck.
Ueli Steck on his record breaking solo of the Eiger North Face. Photo courtesy of Ueli Steck.

Watch Ueli Steck – The Swiss Machine:

*In 2011, Dani Arnold, also Swiss, broke Steck’s 2008 Eiger speed record by 19 minutes. Arnold used fixed ropes for the Hinterstoisser Traverse. While he beat Steck’s solo speed record, Steck—who free climbed the entire route—maintained the all-free solo record.