Robert Jasper succeeds in the completion of his North Face Trilogy

Text by Daniela Jasper In early October Alpinist Robert Jasper (43) along with his climbing partner, the Swiss professional mountaineer Roger Schaeli (33), succeeded in climbing Matterhorn's North Face. Jasper and Schaeli climbed in alpine style, making it the first free ascent of "Sebastien Gay Memorial Route" (1000 meters, F5 / A 2, 90 °), redpoint M8, in one day.

On 4th Oct. in good weather conditions it took Jasper and Schaeli 16 ½ hours to climb the Matterhorn. Climbed free in alpine style, this route is now one of the world's hardest mixed alpine routes (M8). The first third of the wall - about 400 steep meters - is the main crux.

Half way up, Jasper and Schaeli found a piton with a wooden box. Instead of a book inside, it turned out to be an urn. They found out later, that these were the remains of Sebastien Gay (after whom the route was named) that his fellows of the Swiss-French-Team had brought here.

The Matterhorn ascent was Jasper's and Schaeli's final chapter of their "North Face trilogy", their personal goal of free climbing the most majestic north faces of the European Alps: Eiger, Matterhorn and Grandes Jorasses.

Details of the routes of the trilogy:

Grandes Jorasses North Face , 1. free ascent of "No Siesta", 1000m, M8 ( Jasper / Stofer, 2003)

Eiger North Face, 1. free ascent of the "John Harlin Direttissima" with Heckmair exit, 1800 m, M8 (Jasper / Schaeli, 2010)

Matterhorn North Face, 1. free ascent of the "Sebastien Gay Memorial Route" 1000m, M8 ( Jasper / Schaeli, 2011)