Disclaimer: While we at Ryder-Walker do enjoy the beauty of the Eiger and it’s surrounding peaks, we do not climb mountains with our guests. Our hiking tours are just that, hiking excursions that allow us to enjoy the beauty of the Alps without the dangers of mountaineering.
The Alps, MacGillivray Freeman’s newest giant-screen mountain adventure movie, will open on Friday, January 11, 2008 at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Denver, Colorado. This is a chance to see the overwhelming beauty of Ryder-Walker’s stomping grounds on the IMAX big screen. It’s also a chance to meet John Harlin III, the star of the film and author of the book, The Eiger Obsession: Facing The Mountain That Killed My Father.
Background on the film:
The Eiger, a mountain set in the heart of the Jungfrau region of central Switzerland, is one of the world’s most beautiful and celebrated peaks, but its notorious North Face is also considered by many as one of the most treacherous climbs in all of Europe. Its dangerously exposed 6,000-foot vertical wall of jagged limestone is made even more perilous by the constant threat of falling boulders, avalanches and unpredictable weather patterns. In fact, scores of climbers have tempted fate on the Eiger’s craggy slopes, and more than fifty have lost their lives on the mountain.
Forty years ago, John Harlin II, widely considered one of America’s most notable mountaineers, set out to pioneer a bold new route straight up the Eiger’s North face. Approaching the summit at around 4,000 feet, Harlin’s rope broke, and sent him plummeting to a tragic death. His son, John Harlin III, was only nine years old at the time, but the mythic allure and deadly nature of the Eiger haunted him ever since that day.
On September 24, 2005, in an effort to honor the memory of his father, John Harlin III successfully reached the summit of the infamous Eiger North Face, forty years after the same mountain claimed his father’s life. With him were renowned European climbers Robert and Daniela Jasper. The team reached the summit following a climb that lasted three days, with two nights spent bivouacked on narrow ledges high on the sheer face of the mountain. The Alps movie follows Harlin’s climb and beautifully captures one of Europe’s greatest mountain ranges while putting it all on the huge IMAX screen.
If any of you have ever hiked with us below the North Face of the Eiger, then you know that it’s an impressive sight indeed.
The public premiere on January 11th will feature a book sale and signing by John Harlin III. You can read more about the The Alps at alpsfilm.com. Click on “Theatre Listing” for other show times around North America and the world.
For other show times at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science visit dmns.org. Note: Reservations are required for the public premiere on January 11th.
If you’ve never visited the spectacular Jungfrau region highlighted in this film, then let me just say that you’ll walk out of the movie absolutely salivating. Actually, even seasoned veterans will come out drooling.
Here are a few of the hiking tours that explore the magnificent backdrop of this film and pass directly below the North Face of the celebrated Eiger peak.
The Eiger Trail
The Berner Oberland Trek
The Berner Oberland Traverse
The Jungfrau Loop
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