In the world of mountaineering we can always trust Ueli Steck to come up with some unique and interesting projects. The Swiss mountaineer recently combined his climbing skills with a new found love of paragliding to string together three impressive climbs – and glides – in a single day of climbing in the Alps.
On August 18 Ueli started his day at 3AM by first climbing the Jungfrau (4158m/13,642 ft) along the Rotal Ridge Route. Just below the summit of that peak the then flew his paraglider over to the Mönch (4107m/13747 ft) North Face and climbed to the summit along the Lauper Route. Taking to the air once again, he then flew to the Eismeer Glacier on the Eiger (3970m/13,025 ft). He then proceed along the Mittelegi Ridge to the Mittelegi Hut for lunch, before climbing to the summit. Topping out at 3:13 PM, Ueli then descended to the Geneva Spur, launched his glider one final time and sailed down the Lauterbrunnen Valley, returning to his car by 5PM. How is that for one epic day?
You can read Ueli's entire trip report by clicking here. Updates are also promised on the Mountain Hardwear Faceboook page as well.
Ueli is quoted as saying "“It was a cool trip, just pack a backpack and go for a ride. That’s what I liked the most. There were no deposits or any support on the trip, just a nice lunch in the mountain hut. The combination of flying and climbing was just perfect. I had a great day.”
Sounds like the kind of effort that only one of the best mountaineers in the world could pull off. Great stuff.