British Woman Conquers Deadly Eiger Face and Makes Climbing History

(Fay Manners. Photo by BBC News)

Fay Manners, a 39-year-old climber from Bedford, has written herself into mountaineering history by becoming the first British woman to open a new climbing route on the north face of the Eiger in Switzerland.

She spent 13 nights climbing the notoriously dangerous 1,800-metre vertical rock face starting on August 13.

The Eiger’s north face has been attracting climbers since 1938 and carries a fearsome reputation.

Manners chose it because of its legendary status and the rich history of routes opened there.

The mountain is considered extremely difficult because of its steepness, falling rocks, unpredictable weather and few ways to escape if things go wrong.

Manners grew up in Bedford, studied information science at university and worked in technology before becoming a full-time alpinist and skier.

She is now based in France and part of an international athlete team.

The climb took real mental and physical strength.

During the 13 nights, she and her climbing partner Roger Schaeli lived in a portaledge, a tiny suspended platform that serves as a tent.

They carried everything they needed including sleeping bags, water and food.

Simple tasks like cooking and using the toilet became extremely difficult in such an exposed position.

When Manners finally finished the climb, exhaustion hit her so hard she slept for days.

She and Roger named their new route Solar Eclipse after witnessing a real eclipse on August 12 while hanging 750 metres up the rock face.

Manners described it as a surreal moment, completely surrounded by mountains while watching the rare astronomical event from their tiny home on the cliff.

This climb follows a difficult experience in 2024 when Manners and climbing partner Michelle Dvorak got stranded on a mountain in India after a rope carrying their belongings snapped and fell.

The incident did not stop her from continuing to pursue climbing.

She completed her 20th expedition in April this year.

Looking ahead, Manners said she does not plan too far into the future because she stays focused on what comes next.

However, she hopes to return to the Eiger route to do some finishing work on it and make sure other climbers find it a truly beautiful path.