History
First ascent over the Mittellegigrat a hundred years ago (1921)
Long ascent history
It took 47 years from the first attempt at an ascent to the successful first ascent a hundred years ago. Perhaps even more astonishing is that after the opening of the Eismeer station of the Jungfrau Railway in 1905, it still took 16 years before the first ascent was successful. After all, the ridge was comparatively easy to reach from the Eismeer station.
The facts about the development history:
6 July 1874 J.W. and F.C Hartley with mountain guides Peter Rubi and Peter Kaufmann, Grindelwald; from Alpiglen to the ridge and down the other side to the Challigletscher and Grindelwald (14 hours).
1878 P.W. Thomas with mountain guide J.M Biener; reached the ridge while attempting from the Fiescherfirn side.
July 1879 The two mountain guides Peter Rubi and Peter Baumann up to the Little Gendarme
August 1879 J. Oakley Maund and H. Seymour Hoare; from the Eiger cave, less far than Thomas a year earlier
31 July 1881 J. Oakley Maund with guides J. Baumann, Joh. Jaun, Andr. Maurer, Emile Rey; from the Eiger cave up to an overhanging gendarme (today short rope). Farthest advance so far.
28 July to 1 August 1885 M. Kuffner with A. Kalbermatter and another porter and the two mountain guides Alexander Burgener and J.M Biener.
On 29 July from the Eiger cave to the big gendarme in front of the Hick. Decided to reach the col between the Gendarme and the big Hick from the summit. Return to Grindelwald.
On 30 July with suitable equipment to Kleine Scheidegg.
On 31 July crossed the Eiger from the Kleine Scheidegg and thus first ascent of the Mittellegi Ridge on the descent. Without blankets and provisions, bivouacs again in the Eiger cave and returns to Grindelwald on 1 August.
1885 Graham and Emil Boss with mountain guide U. Kaufmann (west side of the Gendarm)
1885 Attempt by two groups of mountain guides: Chr. Jossi, Father, Hans Brawand, Chr. Bohren, Peter Bernet from the summit Hans Almer. Chr. Kaufmann et al. from the bottom to the gendarme towards each other so that they could talk to each other.
1894 Claude A. MacDonald with the mountain guides Christian Jossi and Peter Bernet after the failed Mittellegi ascent direct descent to Alpiglen (lower part of the later Lauper Route).
29 June 1904 Gustav Hasler and the mountain guides Fritz Amatter and Christian Jossi repeat the descent over the Mittellegi Ridge of 1885.
September 1904 Gustav Hasler and mountain guide Fritz Amatter (Mittellegi bivouac site)
July 1912 J. Grande with mountain guides Fritz Amatter, F. Kaumann and P. Bernet (south-west foot of the Gendarme)
July 1912 The mountain guides E. Steuri and A. (?) Steuri (south-west foot of the Gendarme)
around 20 July 1921 The "guideless" Hans Pfann from Germany and Alfred Horeschowsky from Austria turn back before the big Gendarme because of "uncanny climatic conditions" and "thunderstorms". Three days later they climb the Eiger via the South Ridge. A thunderstorm prevents them from making the planned third descent via the Mittellegi Ridge.
Sources: Gottlieb Studer; "Über Eis und Schnee"; 2nd edition 1896 und Erstes Mittellegihüttenbuch (B. Tännler)
The first ascent from 9 to 11 September 1921
In 1919, the twenty-five-year-old Yuko Maki came to Grindelwald. The lively Japanese took German lessons from Samuel Brawand, a primary school teacher and mountain farmer who was four years younger but a head taller. Just one year later - Samuel Brawand had meanwhile obtained his mountain guide's licence - the two climbed the Jungfrau together. Later, in the summer of 1920, they climbed the Finsteraarhorn and the Schreckhorn. The physically dissimilar pair - Yuko Maki had the shoe number 36, Samuel Brawand 45 - harmonised well.
In the summer of 1921, when the weather was rather bad, the two tried their luck in Zermatt with the help of Fritz Steuri, where they managed to climb the Matterhorn and the Dufourspitze and, on the way home, the Aletschhorn. Back in Grindelwald, Yuko Maki asked his guides if there was anything new in the Alps, a route that had not yet been climbed.
Samuel Brawand later wrote in his "Memories of Yuko Maki":
That still existed at that time, and for us Grindelwalders the most important problem on the books was the ascent of the Eiger via the Mittellegi Ridge. This ridge had long since been climbed on the descent, but so far numerous attempts by important alpinists had failed... But we wanted to win. And Fritz Amatter was the best person to help us, as he had completed the second descent over the ridge.
The project succeeded. On 10 September 1921, in the evening at seven o'clock, the four of us stood on the summit of the Eiger. Fritz Amatter and Fritz Steuri had supported each other in overcoming the numerous difficulties, and I had followed Mr Maki.
The descent took over seven hours, as the four climbers had to make do with only one lantern and did not always find the easiest way. They arrived at the Eiger Glacier at 2.30 am.
Samual Brawand continued:
When I remember our triumphal entry on Sunday 11 September in Grindelwald, the photograph comes to mind of Mr Maki being carried on the shoulders of two Englishmen. His face clearly shows how embarrassed he was by the well-intentioned tribute. The modest man was reluctant to be publicly celebrated. At the same time, he rose much higher in our esteem than the enthusiastic Englishmen were able to raise him.
Mr Maki paid us a princely sum and donated ten thousand francs to the Führer Association for the construction of a hut on the Mittellegi. We inaugurated it in the autumn of 1924.
Sources: Samuel Brawand: „Der Eiger – Mittellegigrat und Hörnli“; article in the magazine „Die Alpen“ 1928 and „Erinnerungen an Yuko Maki“ 1989
Other noteworthy ascents of the Mittellegi Ridge after 1921
12 to 16 September 1926 Installation of fixed ropes on the Mittellegi Ridge
18 September 1926 Second ascent and first ascent by a woman. Klara Amatter and B. Tännler with Fritz Kaufmann and Peter Inäbnit
23 September 1926 Third ascent of the Mittellegi Ridge by Yuko Maki, Hatiro Watanabe, Saburo Matsukata with Fritz Amatter, Fritz Steuri, Emil Steuri and Samuel Brawand
6 August 1927 Samitaro Uramatsu, Saburo Matsukata with Emil Steuri and Samuel Brawand climb the lower part of the Mittellegi Ridge from the Ostegg over the Hörnli for the first time
16 to 18 September 1929 First total ascent from the southern Eigerjoch over the south ridge with descent over the entire Mittellegi ridge Emil Steuri and Adolf Rubi with Lina Frida and Martha Gsteiger
12 February 1934First winter ascent by Fritz Amatter and Fritz Kaufmann
15 July 1935 First total ascent Mittellegi Hut - Eiger (Mittellegi Ridge - South Ridge) - Mönch (East Ridge - West Ridge) - Jungfrau (East Ridge - Rottal) - Stechelberg Adolf Rubi and Hans Schlunegger in 16 h 15 min.
Source: First Mittellegi Hut Book 1924 to 1972