Two alpinists have smashed the 21-year-old record for the fastest ascents of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The pair were able to scale all three Swiss mountains in less than 16 hours.
At 4.30pm on April 5, pro alpinists Nicolas Hojac from Canton Bern and Austrian Philipp Brugger achieved the astounding feat of climbing the north faces of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in a world record time of 15 hours and 30 minutes. The attempt shattered the previous record of 25 hours, set by Ueli Steck and Stephan Siegrist in 2004.
The trio of peaks in the Swiss Alps are one of the most challenging mountain climbs in the world, especially when they are scaled back to back. For Hojac and Brugger, the attempt began at 1am by climbing the Eiger, ascending up 1.800 metres up an ice-coated limestone wall.
Climbing with headlamps, crampons and ice axes, the pair managed to reach the summit of Eiger in just five hours and 43 minutes. A quick five-minute break and they then marched to the foot of the Mönch, where they scaled the mountain using the famous Lauper route. “It was only with creative techniques and teamwork that we were able to successfully complete this section”, Hojac told RedBull.com.
After a revivifying meal of French fries with friends at a research station near the summit, they then set off up the 4.158-metre high Jungfrau. Amazingly, just 15 hours and 30 minutes after the pair began, at 4.30pm Hojac and Brugger reached the summit of Jungfrau, completing the three peak challenge.
“It was a really emotional moment for me,” Brugger explained, adding that he thought a medical issue in 2024 had scuppered his hopes of ever achieving the amazing feat. “I never would have thought that I would be standing on the Jungfrau with Nico one year later,” he concluded.
You can see Hojac in action during another ascent in the video below:
Video: Nicolas Hojac / YouTube