Bishop

Chamonix
Monday, August 24, 1998

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Brent here. Unfortunately with the Eiger deal I'm going to be back in the States on the 26th and it will be interesting to see if the face is in shape for when the Swiss Guides get on it. (Editor's Note: A team of Swiss climbers also hope to climb the Eiger, televised and cybercast by Swiss Television; their attempt is to begin Aug. 28.)

Anyway, we went up on the Walker Spur. We took the train up and then hiked in to the hut and had dinner and went and climbed that night — got up to the base of the Rebuffat cracks and bivied. It was a miserable bivy; we were both in one little bivy sack and the weather turned all to hell again in Chamonix. It sort of shut us down. We had to retreat off the Walker Spur in bad weather and come out in bad weather, then we spent another day in bad weather in Chamonix and decided to go over to Courmayer through the tunnel to Italy where the Grivel factory is to check out Courmayer and the climbing over there. We went over, still bad weather, and now we're over in Italy, in Lekko, where it's dryer and it's a beautiful place, and we've been clipping bolts.

So, the big stuff, in essence, we just got hammered on. The weather just wasn't there. We need more time than a week or 10 days. I learned a ton about what to do, places to go and how to approach these bigger walls. I'm really interested in the Swiss TV stuff — to see how they do it.

Anyway, I will stay in touch and that's about it. Sorry that none of the big stuff was done, but that's weather in the Alps here in late August. I'll be in touch and I hope all is well. Take care, bye.

— Brent Bishop, Mountain Zone Contributor

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