The North Face of the Eiger, in southern Switzerland, looms so large and so close over the sunny balconies of Oberland hotels that it takes an act of will to realize just how dangerous it is. You can be sipping beer or hot chocolate on a sunny afternoon in June, admiring the grandiosity of the Eiger’s immense 6,000-foot face, without ever leaving the physical and mental comfort of your alpine chair.
The proximity of luxury to danger gave the Eiger much of its mystery and renown — that, and the fact that journalists also enjoyed the free-flowing drinks on those balconies that let them watch the North Face so easily. I remember watching Clint Eastwood fight off the baddies in “The Eiger Sanction” under the gaze of tourists, and wondering to myself, could they really see it from there?
They can. Anyone can. We found out for ourselves this summer on a glorious trip to the Oberland; on the pass above two picturesque towns is the rail station and hotel where all those telescopes sit. And we confirmed it again watching a tremendous thriller based on real Eiger events, Germany’s “The North Face.”
The film is intense, deeply sad and frighteningly realistic, so don’t subject your 7-year- olds to the movie. But for anyone 13 or older with an interest in the outdoors, it’s riveting entertainment. The film follows the true story of two young Germans trying to beat other climbers to be the first North Face conquerers, in 1936. They compete with two obnoxious Austrians who like their “Heil Hitlers!”
The hot-chocolate paradox hits home as the fated climbers pass a portal halfway up their brutal, freezing ascent. Couldn’t they just pop inside the railway tunnel running through the Eiger, and have a warm sleep?
They could — but they don’t. And the tragedy lives on in the movies. The North Face was finally tamed in 1938. The film is a worthy tribute to all those who never made it to the top.
“The North Face”
Not rated; dangerous climbing scenes and injuries, mortality
Best suited for: Adventure-film enthusiasts ages 13 and older
