Ueli Steck speed record on Grandes Jorasses: 2h 21Min

Ueli Steck climbs all the three big North faces in the Alps in new record times and solo

With a speed record of 2 hours and 21 minutes on the Grandes Jorasses, Ueli Steck climbs the third of the Alps' three most important North faces and sets a new solo speed record!

On Sunday, December 28, 2008 Ueli Steck soloed the Colton-Macintyre route on the Northface of the Grandes Jorasses in 2 hours and 21 minutes. (The Grandes Jorasses are a chain of linked summits on the Mont Blanc massif.) He summited the highest point of the Grandes Jorasses, the "Pointe Walker“ (4208 m).

Ueli Steck has now climbed all three important Northfaces in the Alps (the Eiger Northface, the Matterhorn, and the Grandes Jorasses), setting new speed records for each route. On February 13, 2008, Ueli Steck set a new speed record soloing the classic Heckmair Route on the Eiger Northface in 2hr 47min 33sec almost a year to the day since he first broke the speed record for climbing the North Face of the Eiger. On March 14, 2006 Steck climbed the technical demanding Bonatti route on the Matterhorn in 25 hours. This is not the fastest ascent on the Matterhorn Northface ever, but it is an absolute record on this historical route. Walter Bonatti needed five days for his first ascent in 1965. The French alpinist Catherine Destivelle soloed the same route in 1994 in three days.
For Ueli Steck, the Grand Jorasse represented his only missing speed record. The only way to get to the wall is long and difficult. A big challenge for someone travelling solo. On December 27, 2008, Ueli Steck places his small Mountain Hardwear tent on the glacier not far away from the face. He spends the afternoon studying the wall. The big difference between this route and the Eiger: he doesn’t know the route. For Ueli Steck, this route is completely new.

The previous record for ascending the Grandes Jorasses was set on the route "Linceule,“ which is located on the far left-hand side of the wall. It is a sloping shoulder of snow and ice. Technically easy. Jean Marc Bovin climbed the route in 1977 in 2 hours and 45 minutes from the shrund to the summit. This route bypasses the wall of the Grandes Jorasses. The fastest time on the actual North face of the Grandes Jorasses was a little bit less than 4 hours – also achieved via the Colton-Macintyre route. This time was relevant until December 28, 2008.

The night was cold. The thermometer gave a temperature of minus 16 degrees. Not really ideal for a speed ascent. Nevertheless: Ueli Steck tries. It will be a real and very cold winter ascent.

After a rich breakfast he starts. With him: a 50 meter 5 mm Dyneema rope, 2 ice screws, 4 carbines, one belay device, and 2 normal pitons. A minimum of equipment. Further, to protect him from the extreme cold he wears a special insulated jacket: a Mountain Hardwear Compressor Hooded Jacket. To be absolutely sure, Ueli Steck takes the time on 2 Suunto watches. 1100 meters are ahead of him. The ice conditions are perfect: not too hard.

The ice tools give him good grip. One ice-axe hit after the other Ueli Steck climbs higher and higher. Until the middle of the wall over the Macintyre route. Then he goes over the two vertical and overhanging ice pitches to the Alexis route. A difficult alternative. The last 350 meters are the most demanding.

Back to the original route, the rock is difficult to climb. It is awkward climbing with ice axes on the rock. The temperatures are too cold to take off his gloves. Steck climbs on, using dry tooling techniques. The route is steep and travels over overhanging sections. He climbs towards the summit. During the first ascent the passages in this part of the wall were solved technically with pitons. Steck climbed the whole route without using the rope and without any protection.

2 hours and 21 minutes after he left his tent on the foot of the wall, he reaches the summit of "Pointe Walker“, which is, at 4208 m, the highest point on the Grandes Jorasses, a chain of summits on the Mont-Blanc massif.

Now Ueli Steck has climbed all three big Northfaces in the Alps solo. And climbed all of them in record time.