Hardwear Sessions

Jasper Climbing Japanese Route | Photo by Franz Walter

Short historical retrospect
"From the 15th of July until the 15th of August 1969, the Japanese Expert Climbing Team, including one female Doctor, fought their way on a merciless direct straight up the Eiger North Face. The entire team had a wild determination to hiss their flag with all their signatures and good wishes on the famous summit. Above the "Difficult Crack" they left the classic route of the first ascenders of 1938 and started to explore a new and straight line through the face. The 200m high section named "Rote Fluh" is extremely steep and mainly overhanging - challenging for even the masters of the 6th grade. Scary, compact and only now and then a little edge or a thin crack besides the endless shadow, the void and continuous unsteadiness", described by Toni Hiebeler in his historic publication "Abenteuer Eiger".

The Japanese-Team had first climbed the route back in 1969, mainly in technical style, using 250 drilled bolts and following the "straight line of the falling water drops" using hooks and step ladders pushing forward.

The two professional Alpinists, Robert Jasper (GER) und Roger Schäli (CH) managed to finally free climb, redpoint, the famous "Japanese Route" on the Eiger North Face. The so called "Super-Diretissima" (5.13b/8a) is now the most challenging and demanding route through the famous 1800m North Face.

Robert Jasper | Photo by Frank Kretschmann

Roger Schäli | Photo by Frank Kretschmann

Roger Schäli first tried an ascent in the Winter of 2002. Then, together with Simon Anthamatten, both of them among the most talented young Swiss alpinists, they tried to free the route throughout the summer of 2003. When I heard of their attempts it made my heart ache as I knew they had discovered one of my biggest "dream routes" in the Alps. Roger and Simon where working on the route all summer long. They managed to free climb most of the "Rote Fluh" but they had to bypass the crux pitch a scary "Harikiri-Variation" with hardly any protection. Due to heavy rock fall they had to give up their free climbing ambitions in the final 800m high headwall.

By then the vision of a free climbing the route by following the original course of the Japanese Expedition Team had captured Roger and myself entirely.

28th of August 2009
Little above zero degrees Celsius - quite warm for the Eiger North Face. Roger and myself are spotting the black stripes of the melting water throughout the "Rote Fluh" - exactly where we are supposed to climb. Slippery conditions are awaiting us and we both seriously doubt that it makes sense to go on and try the crux pitch in these miserable conditions. The famous mountaineer Hermann Buhl once compared the "Rote Fluh" to the North Face of the "Westlichen Zinne": unclimbable in free climbing manner.

Robert Jasper | Photo by Frank Kretschmann

Ongoing difficulties of 7b/7c, difficult bouldering stretches on small holds and micro edges and then the crux - 5.13b/8a in midst of the Eiger North Face, a face almost twice the height of the famous granite domes of the Yosemite Valley. During the last two attempts Roger and I managed to free climb the "Rote Fluh". Yet, we never got through the headwall because of the terrible quality of the rock, the continuous rock fall, the rusty, untrustworthy 40 years old drilled bolts and the bad weather conditions.

About half of the holds of the "Rote Fluh" are wet. We climb and fight ourselves forward. Two of the most difficult pitches are also partly wet and we need several tries to free climb them. With wet and icy fingers I catch tiny hold after tiny hold, my tight climbing shoes constantly slipping off because of numb toes. Blindly I move through the studied moves, having hardly any feeling in my limbs.

It is mere willpower that keeps me pushing forward, revealing yet unknown power recourses. On the third try, I finally - barely - get through the crux pitch. We can make it!

The following day (29th of August) we have bad weather conditions and spend the day waiting in our little tent at the "Stollenloch". The air pressure is rising in the afternoon and as forecasted the weather changes for good during the night. This is our chance.

On the 30th of August we start our stretch of the journey in the middle of the night, following the little lighted path of our headlamps. Quickly we make our way through the second ice field which is mere black ice with stones and move on into the huge and scary headwall.

It is getting tough now: the "Brocken Pillar", crumbling and loose rock everywhere with hardly any chance of placing solid gear only a few old and rusty drilled hooks of the Japanese Expedition Team which have been hit by rocks many times.

The whistling sound of falling rock takes our imagination back to the famous historic tales of the Eiger. Its almost too much of an adventure. Shortly before the "Centerband" - our third planned Biwi - the rockfall gets suddenly heavier. A fist-size stone hits my helmet and almost cracks it. Luckily it did not knock me off my feet and off the wall. Worn out and tired we build up our tent. The rockfall continues throughout the night and stones almost hit our tent more than once. We try hard to give our stressed nerves a rest. A little food and drink then we crawl into our sleeping bags.

Despite all torments we both manage to recover a little for the next day.

The Headwall
Like the last days Roger and myself change leads continuously and manage to move on quickly. On the "Sphings Pillar" Roger fights like a samurai - an open bill with one of the pitches 6,A2. Now freed this pitch becomes a hard 7b.

After several alpine pitches and terrible traverses we finally reach the Summit Icefield. An old frozen backpack, probably left by Jeff Lowe, offers us a very welcome belay as we only took two ice-screws with us.

Greeted by the last rays of evening sunlight we flee the never ending shadow of the Eiger North Face and hug each other full of relief on the summit of the Eiger. It's done.

Roger and finally made it and our free ascent of this historic route will be a bright diamond gem in our both alpine climbing careers.

Quote Roger Schäli:
Yes, it's a dream that come true. It's not yet another route for me. This one is the ultimate combination of so many aspects of climbing: difficult rock climbing on doubtfully belays, ice and mixed climbing in a wild and exposed scenery which kept me up for so long.

Following that vision and with a big portion of naivety, I tried it throughout the summer of 2003: The Japanese Diretissima.

Together with Simon we fought hard and climbed a risky variation in the "Rote Fluh" moving around the crux pitch. But in the end we were just happy to get out in one piece. We both were mentally and physically simply not ready for such big a project.

I couldn't have a better climbing partner with so much passion and experience than Robert. With his alpine expertise and professional manner in difficult and challenging situations we were the perfect team for climbing the Japanese Diretissima and finally making the first free ascent.

There I was again in the "Rote Fluh". Robert managed to free climb the direct passage through the crux section (8a/5.13b). The missing piece was finally put into place. Now we could go for it!

But what started back then was the biggest tax of my patience of my entire life. The summers passed and either the conditions were too warm or too cold , too wet or too instable. By then the entire Japanese Diretissima Route had still had not been free climbed!

40 years had to pass until the "Diva of Free Climbing" gave way to our attempts. This complex and enduring project contains just every aspect of mountain climbing (sport, ice, mixed, alpine) which makes it such an awesome climb.

Our endurance has finally been rewarded.

Mountain Hardwear gear put to good use on the Eiger North Face | Photo by Frank Kretschmann

ROBERT JASPER
+49 170 48 97 628
jasper@robert-jasper.de
www.robert-jasper.de"