Media Release: , November 4, 2014

Eiger Ultra Trail - Harder than the North Face The Eiger becomes a member of the Ultra Trail World Tour

On the 18th & 19th July 2015, Grindelwald will welcome the 3rd staging of the Eiger Ultra Trail. This prestigious event, with the staging locations at Grosse Scheidegg, , 2680m-the highest attainable altitude in the race, , Wengen, Männlichen, , not to mention the traverse along the base of the Eiger North Face and all of this within the UNESCO World Heritage site -Aletsch, is a truly spectacular and unforgettable alpine experience. There are three race routes totalling 168km and over 10‘500m height difference awaiting the multinational Eiger Ultra Trail participants each year and now even aspiring young trail runners can also take part in the ‘Eiger Ultra Trail Kids Race’ on event day. From 2015 Eiger Ultra Trail is part of the Ultra Trail World Tour.

After its successful launch in 2013 with 1‘100 runners taking part, the number of participants at the second Eiger Ultra Trail event in Grindelwald in July 2014 had increased to 1’730 runners from 41 nations and all routes were sold out within a short time. The annual organization of such an event relies on newly forged, but built-to- last partnerships and requires a dynamic core team with a passion for the sport and the will and expertise to succeed. A further development in the Eiger Ultra Trail’s early success story, and one we are very proud of, is being officially selected for the Ultra Trail World Tour, as of 2015. The Ultra Trail World Tour prides itself on selecting very distinct and prominent international trail races as members. This Membership is an honour and an important component in the long-term future development of ‘trail running at the foot of the Eiger North Face’.

The E101 route, with 101km and 6‘700m altitude difference, with its challenging climbs and technical sections, and a few leisurely trails thrown in for good measure, is considered a tough test for any trail runner; "the panoramic views along some of the staging locations are so vast and impressive that they literally carry you away." The event organising team is united in its opinion that such amazing scenery rightly deserves an Ultra Trail; "The 360-degree view from the Faulhorn at 2680m, the stunning glimpse from above of the valley and the final stride along the base of the Eiger North Face will set new accents in the trailing running scene”.

The legendary Eiger – a short and updated history!

The Eiger, the most notorious mountain in the Swiss , stands at a height of 3970 metres above sea level and has for many years drawn mountaineers, a fascinated public and more recently, trail runners to its heady heights, foothills, and wonderfully scenic surrounding valleys. Two local Grindelwald guides Christian Almer and Peter Bohren together with their client, Charles Barrington, were the first to successfully reach the Eiger summit in 1858. The so-called ‘last remaining problem’ in the Alps, the Eiger’s North Face was, after several failed and indeed fatal attempts, finally conquered in 1938 by Anderl Heckmair, Ludwig Vörg, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek who summited the peak in four days.

In August 2008, the Swiss professional mountaineer and trail runner, Ueli Steck broke all imaginable boundaries with his successful solo speed-climbing record attempt on the Eiger North Face in the jaw-dropping time of 2 hours 47 minutes. As an ambassador for the Eiger Ultra Trail, Ueli gives a convincing endorsement; "Personally, I believe that the Eiger Trail Ultra is harder than solo-climbing the Eiger North Face..."

For media material and further information:

Verein Running Grindelwald Eiger Ultra Trail Ralph Näf 3818 Grindelwald /

Email [email protected] Telefon 0041 (0)79 337 94 27