Couch alpinism: 25 year of «Eiger Live»
09/2024
@Robert Bösch
Robert Bösch
Lena Wimmer
On September 9, 1999, exactly 25 years ago, Mammut athlete Stephan Siegrist together with mountaineers Evelyne Binsack, Hansruedi Gertsch, and Ralf Dujmovits, climbed the 1,800-meter-high Eiger North Face. There would have been nothing particularly remarkable about this achievement had it not been that the two rope teams were accompanied by 13 cameras.
A logistical and organizational masterpiece, an emotional experience for the spectators, a unique insight: For two days, more than 250,000 spectators watched the entire live ascent on Swiss (SRF) and German (SWR) television – at peak times in the evening, the audience rose to over a million viewers.Â
From the comfort of your couch, you were able to follow the four professionals as they took on the challenges of the infamous Heckmair Route. The helmet cameras and microphones that Stef and the others were wearing provided a truly authentic insight. Â
We're celebrating 25 years of «Eiger Live» and looking back with Stef at the experience that has permanently shaped the worlds of mountaineering and television.Â