Recently, the film about the speed ascent of the vertical maiden marathon by Roger Schäli and David Hefti is online. We talked to Roger about the Megatour.
The vertical Jungfrau Marathon was first climbed in two days by Sacha Wettstein and Andreas Leibundgut in the year 1997. The line was created by a combination of routes Stägers Bürtblätz (350m, 7a +) and Fats and bites (300m, 7a). After the latter one reaches the summit of the 4156 Meter high Jungfrau via the notorious and long Rotblättgrat. The professional alpinist Roger Schäli and David Hefti set themselves the goal of climbing the 3300 vertical meters - including 23 pitches in challenging terrain - in a single day.
Interview with Roger Schäli about the speed ascent of the vertical maiden marathon
How did you come up with this tour?
The idea is obvious. It is an obvious and gigantic kingline in the Bernese Oberland.
How long did you need for the daily ascent?
16 hours.
How did you prepare for the tour?
I tried the tour a year earlier. However, I was completely soaked because of the extremely wet pitch at the beginning of the Rotbrätts.
When did you do the tour?
2013 and 2015 again sections with Jochen Schmoll and Thomas Senf for documentation purposes.
How did the roped party with David Hefti come about?
I know David from the SAC junior team. I was a mountain guide and we went to Peru together and climbed Golden Gate at Yosemite. Traveling with David is a lot of fun.
What particularly annoyed you about the tour?
The line is obvious to me. From the valley and my front door to climb over so much wild terrain on one of the most beautiful mountains is just awesome.
Video of the celebration of the vertical maiden marathon
Credits: Cover picture Roger Schäli - rogerschaeli.ch