Facing Eiger—the Mountain That Killed My Father
A son’s death-defying quest to fulfill his father’s dream.

By John Harlin III

When I was a kid it always bothered me that Dad hadn’t been able to survive most of his 4,000-foot fall. He would have wanted to savor the event: his “ultimate experience,” the one he had been looking forward to, even though he wanted it to come later. My mother made sure that the film in his movie camera was developed, because he would have filmed the whole thing if possible. That’s just how he was, and it would have been strange if he’d changed at the last minute.