Taking on the Eiger

December 14, 2015

 If you missed the segment that aired on 60 minutes on November 30th, please do try if you want to view extreme sports on steroids. I heard about "the Eiger" as the backdrop for the 70s film with Clint Eastwood, "The Eiger Sanction." As entertaining as that movie was, extreme athlete JT Holme's descent down the Eiger is nothing short of harrowing. The mountain is one of the largest in the Bernese Alps, located in Switzerland. The Eiger is called one of the excellent climbing destinations in the world and is famous for extreme skiing.

The northern side is famous for its sheer face and its ascents which is considered a high achievement. Even though it is conquerable, dangerous situations are ever-present due to falling rocks and ice, especially considering sixty-four climbers have died since 1935. As far as extreme skiing, helicopters drop off brave souls on the glacier side. The skiing is considered very difficult, but the skiers will be rewarded with an abundance of virgin snow.

Who is JT Holmes? He is an American athlete who loves the three sports he utilized on his descent down the Eiger. Holmes as a skier, has gone down some of the most dangerous runs in the world. He is also an avid base jumper and wingsuit enthusiast. He is well-known in the world of extreme sports and had been working on the Eiger attempt for years.

As part of his trek down the mountain, the first thing was to be dropped off by a helicopter on the summit, which is the size of four ping pong tables. As his team prepared his equipment, there is the lurking threat of falling due to unstable footing and high winds. Holmes goes for a run with a now or never attitude and skis down the first section of the mountain with a speed wing (part parachute, part glider) attached to his body. The wing allows him to get lift above the rocky terrain on the first part of the descent. The ride looks more manageable than it appears as he smoothly glides and skis down steep slopes.

When he reaches that part of the mountain where a significant snowpack lies, he releases the wing. He is now screaming downward, which looks incredibly scary. His cameraman and a helicopter caught the thrilling descent, but it gets more unbelievable. Holmes skis off the edge of a cliff face into a full-fledged freefall. He must release his skis during this fall and use his special suit to move away from the cliff sides. This is the most dangerous point in the run where he is falling over 120 miles an hour. When the skis are released, Holmes finds the moment where he pulls the parachute to create his landing.

He is so stoked by the ride and overcome with joy for his long-time dream to come true. More remarkable, he decides to give it another try. On his second run, a nerve-wracking moment presented itself when Holmes couldn't release one of the skis, which could have been his inevitable death. He got the lock released, and he escaped the danger, but it still makes you shake your head at the insanity of this ride.

There have been some fantastic stunts and athletic feats performed by daredevils, but only they will justify it and stand by their convictions. Plenty of deaths and heartbreak are associated with these endeavors. The only thing we can do is hope they are fortunate. When I was a kid, we had Evel Knievel to marvel at, and he too was successful more times than not, but he lived to see another day if he didn't finish the jump. These guys and gals are either adrenaline junkies or adrenaline enthusiasts and have to decide someday if this is all worth the risk. There will always be the chance that some accident will happen if they want to keep doing these death-defying stunts. Hopefully, most will realize when the dangers exceed the reward. Technology allows men and women to do everything to defy gravity, and I don't know what is left on earth to tackle. I am not sure I am ready to watch somebody shot out of a cannon across the Grand Canyon just yet.