Hugh Conway Posted December 31, 2008 Posted December 31, 2008 Andy Kirkpatrick solos the NF http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/site/blog Quote
ivan Posted December 31, 2008 Posted December 31, 2008 sounds like he's got a bit further to go? Quote
ScaredSilly Posted January 1, 2009 Posted January 1, 2009 Yeah, seems like he is trying to solo the Eiger. Not sure what to think of the blog. I guess we all need a little self promotion. Quote
billcoe Posted January 1, 2009 Posted January 1, 2009 Great find Hugh! Dudes heading up there in the winter. It sounds like he's siegeing the Harlan Direct line, and sending reports via his I phone! Wow! Pretty bad assed. Quote
Bigtree Posted January 2, 2009 Posted January 2, 2009 Great find Hugh!...Wow! Pretty bad assed. Â Ditto. Great vicarious climbing over the holiday's. Thanks. Quote
billcoe Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Looks like he'll be heading down and calling it. Blog says "Starting this morning I put my solo belay device upside down. I didn’t even have the energy to sort my rack and in my mind the eiger stretched on to heaven. Trying to solo the eiger has required all the skills and tricks i have. But finally it comes down to knowing when you’re beat. Its time to bail."   Somewhere under the gallery windows of the Eigerwand station.  Kirkpatrick Bivi below  full north face below: Andy Kirpatrick bivi picture  Below: Gallery windows Quote
ivan Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 interesting - and a bummer - but why bail back down if you can just crawl into the gallery windows? Quote
marc_leclerc Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 interesting - and a bummer - but why bail back down if you can just crawl into the gallery windows? Â And walk down the skinny train tunnel hoping no train comes down the tracks and flattens you. Quote
korup Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 Ah, the flip side of pimping the media exposure! Instead of quietly bailing and regrouping after getting over his head, he now has to send out public dispatches explaining why he screwed the pooch! Quote
Stefan Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 iphone blogging from the eiger in the winter. badass. I hope his fingers aint too cold. Â if I only knew his number...how often do I get a chance to call someone from my phone to someone on the north face of the eiger in the winter. that would be closest I could ever touch that thing. Â Quote
ivan Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 interesting - and a bummer - but why bail back down if you can just crawl into the gallery windows? Â And walk down the skinny train tunnel hoping no train comes down the tracks and flattens you. i thought the train stops there so folks can look out? at any rate, that's how clint survived the eiger sanction! Quote
Hugh Conway Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 i thought the train stops there so folks can look out? at any rate, that's how clint survived the eiger sanction! Â he didn't have the $100 for a ticket Quote
Dane Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 And walk down the skinny train tunnel hoping no train comes down the tracks and flattens you. Â Although frowned upon there is pleanty (if you are careful) of room to walk down inside the tunnel. Quote
jmace Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 iphone blogging from the eiger in the winter. badass. I hope his fingers aint too cold. Â Shit I cant even get reception for my iphone outside of Hope...man the Euros got it good Quote
Dane Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 I agree Ivan. I'd wondered about his motives when he bailed. Â Cricky though, I have to call my wife everyday when i am out now. If i don't make the evening call home she's not happy. It gets stressful for everyone. Me trying to make phone service and her wondering why the hell i haven't bothered to call yet. Â We are still trying to work that out after years of marriage and mutiple trips. Â So getting emails from your kids every night on a multiday climb that is beating you up physically would totally drain me mentally. With much more to come I understand it totally. Good on him for putting it all in print. Quote
billcoe Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Link of text  "Was I in a fit state to try? Well no, but then I have never been in a fit state to try any climb (When I climbed the Lesure route on the North Face of the Dru - scottish VI/VII, and a dam site harder then the Eiger Direct - I hadn't climbed for over a year!!!!). I'm not like Bracey, Powell, Cross etc who are genuinely full time climbers (athletes if you wish), and would race up a route like the direct in a few days. I'm an utterly normal person who finds fitting in even a days climbing in the 'gorms difficult, juggling kids, ex wife and girlfriend, many jobs and commitments - just like about 90% of climbers in the UK.  Call me selfish? It's because I've always striven no to let climbing make me a heartless climbing obsessed bastard that gets me into these scrapes in the first place. What I have in my favor is not a six pack and a marathon physique (since when did being skinny make you a good mountaineer?), but a stubbornness, and willingness to both try something difficult with as big a safety margin as possible, and most importantly be willing to fail. My book and website may have the word psycho in it, but I think if you ask anyone who's climbed with me, and you'll find I'm probably one of the most paranoid climbers around." Quote
sobo Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 interesting - and a bummer - but why bail back down if you can just crawl into the gallery windows? By my read of his blog, he never made it up to the windows in the first place. Quote
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