Man Falls 4000 ft. To Death On North Face Of Eiger

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31017, 24 March 1966, Page 21

Man Falls 4000 ft. To Death On North Face Of Eiger

(N.Z. Preu Association—Copyright)

KLEIN SCHEIDEGG (Switzerland),March 22. The leader of a British-American team of alpinists fell 4000 ft to his death today on the towering Eiger.

John Harlin, aged 30, an American, fell as he was making his way up a long rope hanging from the Spider, an ice-caked rock formation not far from the summit.

The Britisih-Ameirican expedition had joined forces with a German team tn attempt the

first “straight-up” ascent of the 6000 ft north face of the Eiger. Slipped At Join

The two German lead men continued their climb up the precipice unaware of the accident.

Harlin was making his way up a long rope set up by the two Germans, Joeg Lehne, aged 29, and Karl Galikow, aged 31. He was only about 70 feet below them when he slipped at a joining point. Observers looking through a powerful telescope at the Kleihe Scheidegg Hotel, only a few miles away from the mountain, saw Harlin plunge to the ground below. An American, Layton Kor, and a British alpinist, Chris Bonnington, reported finding Karlin’s broken body at the foot of the precipice. Germans Continue

The two German lead men continued climbing, the only ones among the 11 climibers not aware of the accident. Walkie-talkie radio connexions with the Germans were cut or they would have immediately broken off their attempt after Karlin's death. Galikow and Lehne cleared the Spider by nightfall which meant probable success—above them remained only 700 feet of a comparatively easy climb to the summit. Harlin was the twentyseventh climber killed in the history of Eiger north wall climbs.

He was a former United States Air Force jet pilot, who in recent years lived in Leysin, western Switzerland, where he was director of a mountain climbing school. The epic climb was in its twentieth day.

The British-American team and the West Germans, Who started off as rivals, agreed to join forces last Sunday after obstacles had hindered progress in the climb to the 13,02&f00t high summit. Changing Ropes

Harlin had been trying to change from one rope to the other, but apparently missed his hold and plunged all the

way down the north face, A.A.P.-Reuter reported later. Harlin had twice before attacked the Eiger’s north face without taking the twomile zig-zag route up.

On the first occasion in February, 1964, he attempted the climb with four Italians and on the second, in July, with two Frenchmen. Both times he was beaten back by bad weather.