UKC

Just wandering how much of an escape route the gallery window is on the North Face of the Eiger. I understand there is a door there. Has anyone escaped using it, or is it always locked? I read about it being locked in Joe Simpson's latest book.

In reply to Mark: not sure about the door, but have looked down the face out of the window, and got very sweaty palms!!, its a hell of a sight, makes me never want to get on it!

In reply to Mark: I've read several books where folk used it.
Patey's being one, with Don Whillans.

TTG

In reply to O Mighty Tim:

I'm not so sure - there might be some confusion over the gallery windows and other ventilation/construction tunnels. I seem to remember that the gallery windows are sealed.

The locked door would probably be on the open tunnels that have been used as escape routes.

In reply to Mark: Could someone please tell me what the gallery window is?

In reply to Paul:
there may be some confusion about this as there is a vent shaft near the top of the difficult crack b4 the hinterstosser traverse (off to the right of the route). this is used to secape the 38 route route and has traditionally been left open (with a neon advertisiong sign in the tunnel allegidly).

there is also a huge 'gallery window' in the face which goes somewhere near the line of the harlin route i think.

however ive not done the face yet so i could be making all this up. if your interested in the face but danuiel ankers book on the eiger, this has very good pictuers of all the features in it.

james e

In reply to james e at school: Cheers mate, that has made things slightly clearer now, but where does the gallery window go to, is there a series of tunnels drilled through the Eiger?

In reply to Paul:

The train that runs up inside the Eiger to the Jungfraujoch stops at a station (sometimes?) where you can get out and walk along a tunnel (I assume dug when the railway was being built to get rid of debris etc?). At the end of this tunnel there is a big window on the North face allowing you to look out.

In reply to Paul:

Mate there's a whole railway going up throught the mountain terminating at the Jungfraujoch station on the shoulder of the Jungfrau this is why so many tourists congregate in Klein Schedeg (sp?). Hence ventilation tunnels on the North face for airflow throught the tunnels, and the vieweing gallery about 3/4 of the way up to give tourists they're monnies worth as it's about 40 quid for a return ticket.

In reply to Kipper: Basically correct. They dug side galleries when tunnelling the railway route, to get rid of the rock, and left them as viewing points/unused tunnels. Some are used as ascape routes off the MorderWand...
Seen the Eiger Sanction? they used one in that.

TTG

In reply to O Mighty Tim: I believe its "Mord Wand" actually. (As apposed to Nord Wand. North Wall, Murder Wall.)

In reply to RH: When I went up in the train last summer the gallery windows didn't look openable. I think they used to open though (people escape through them in 'the white spider'). Im not sure about the ventilation shafts.

In reply to Mark:

Hi,

there is only one "Gallery window" on the the Eigerwand. It´s the one below the difficult crack, close to the 38´Route. It became famous when the first winter ascent was finally started from there. The door is never closed. The other windows - located at Eigerwand-Station - are near the Harlin-direct, but to my knowledge you have to ask the swiss station guards to get out on the wall. Stephan Siegrist, a young swiss climber did that in 2001 to climb a new route called "The young spider" (along with Ueli Steck)

Rainer

In reply to Mark:
To confirm what other people have said, the gallery window is not at the EigerWand station, but some distance along the railway line before it. It's on the right hand side of the wall, shortly before the Hintertoisser traverse, wheras the staion is up on the left hand side and well away from the 1938 route.

And not only did the window feature in the Eiger Sanction, but the scenes where Clint Eastwood has to cut his rope (whilst dangling outside of the window) was actually filmed on the wall. No stunt double, no clever special effects wizardy. Takes some guts in my view.