Gillman Leni - Extreme Eiger: the race to climb the Eiger Direct

The Eiger photographed from Kleine Scheidegg in the late afternoon of an unusually fine day during the Direct attempt in March, 1966, with the sunset illuminating the North Face.

In winter the North Face is more often shrouded in cloud, as it was with a storm approaching in March 2014. The Kleine Scheidegg hotel is in the right foreground.

John and Marilyn Harlin on their wedding day, 25 October 1955, in Los Altos Hills, California.

Andra (3) and John Jr (5) in Germany, 1961.

John (in USAF uniform), Marilyn and John Jr in California, 1956.

Peter Haag, the troubadour, with Barbara in 1965.

Barbara and Peter Haag on their wedding day, 18 December 1965, in Ehingen, Germany.

Jrg Lehne on the Eiger.

Haston and Kor with Harlin at the Kleine Scheidegg telescope.

Kor, Haston and Harlin pose with their equipment for the Weekend Telegraph on 4 February.

Gillman calls the face.

Harlin, Kor and Haston examine route photographs at Kleine Scheidegg.

German climbers at a staging-post halfway up the Vorbau. From left: Strobel, Golikow, Rosenzopf, Haag, Hupfauer.

Golikow carries a supply bomb on the Second Icefield.

Bonington and camera below the face.

When Bonington first photographed German climbers at the Vorbau on 19 February, Hupfauer threw a snowball at him.

Kor (left) and Haston at work on the First Band on 28 February.

Haston disentangles a crampon while Jumaring on the First Band.

Rosenzopf looks up the German line on the First Band.

Inside the German Eispalast below the First Band. From left: Strobel, Golikow, Rosenzopf, Haag, Lehne.

Schnaidt looks into the Germans ice cave at the Death Bivouac.

Kor stands in his teams first snow hole below the First Band.

Kor climbs the gully in the Second Band just below the Germans Kristallsalon.

Harlin watches as Haston climbs the Second Icefield on 9 March.

Strobel braves bad weather somewhere below the Death Bivouac.

A German climber makes the exposed traverse from the Death Bivouac to the Rulaman cave.

Strobel leads up the chimney system above the Death Bivouac on 10 March. The first pitch, an overhanging crack blocked by snow mushrooms, took him three hours.

Kor makes the key traverse, opening up the route, across the foot of the Central Pillar on 19 March.

Golikow watches Kor climbing above the Central Pillar on 20 March the same pitch, photographed from above, is shown on the cover.