The Six Great North Faces of the Alps

Of the countless mountain walls found in the Alps, north faces are notorious for their lack of sun and warmth, making them more hostile and foreboding than any other aspect. Of these, six stand out as extreme for their height, steepness and overall difficulty. Their first ascents, between 1931 and 1938, were the biggest prizes in the mountaineering world at the time, and marked a new era in alpine climbing. Even today, with modern weather forecasting and equipment, any of these ascents often marks the culmination of a climber's career.

Presented here are all the routes on all six north faces (with the Alpine Trilogy of Grandes Jorasses, Eiger and Matterhorn on the top row), plus a few on satellite peaks visible on the photos, for a total of 222 lines!