Matterhorn: Ueli Steck climbs the north face

On 13 January 2009, the Swiss climber Ueli Steck ascended the north face of the Matterhorn in 1 hour and 56 minutes. Steck climbed via the Schmidt route (graded TD/ED, 1,100 m), the first route ascended on the north face of the Matterhorn in 1931 by Franz and Toni Schmidt. He set off shortly after 8.00 am and climbed in temperatures of -7 °C, finding the “route” to be in optimal condition. At the top, he exited via the 1983 variant pioneered by Michal Pitelka, which leads to the Hörnligrat, reaching the summit in just under two hours. The ascent was part of a project in which he climbed the north faces of the Eiger, the Matterhorn and the Grandes Jorasses.