Speed Record - Dani Arnold Breaks Record on the North Face of the Matterhorn

SEON, Switzerland, April 30, 2015 /CNW/ - To mark the start of the season on the Matterhorn, top class alpinist Dani Arnold, from Switzerland, has set a new milestone: on April 22nd the speed specialist from the Mammut Pro Team climbed the Schmid route on the Matterhorn North face in 1 hour and 46 minutes. With this he beats the previous record set by Ueli Steck in 2009 by 10 minutes.   

The 1,100 metre high North face of the Matterhorn is, with the Eiger and Grand Jorasse, one of the three great North faces of the Alps. Good mountain climbers need between 8 and 10 hours for this wall of rock and ice. Dani Arnold achieved the ascent in just one hour and 46 minutes! He climbed the original route of the Matterhorn North face (Schmid route) alone.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150429/742838-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150429/742838-b )

At precisely 8:34 a.m. Dani Arnold set off at the Bergschrund at 3,400 metres above sea level. The conditions were "actually really good, even if not optimal. In many places I was climbing on glare ice, and on rock further up. This is where you would ideally find snow," said the climber from Uri, Switzerland. The Swiss mountain guide is known for his speed at climbing mountains. Even on difficult terrain, Dani Arnold climbs apparently without effort. When he set the speed record for the Eiger North face in 2011, which is still unbroken today, hardly anyone outside the climbing scene had heard of him.

About Dani Arnold:   

The 31-year-old mountain guide discovered climbing when he was 14 years old and it was only a few years later, whilst still a youngster, that he climbed the North face of the Eiger with friends. He has achieved many first ascents around the world and set the speed record on the Eiger North face. Dani Arnold is sponsored by Mammut.

SOURCE Mammut Sports Group AG

Harald Schreiber, Mammut Sports Group AG, Industriestrasse Birren, CH-5703 Seon; Public Relations, Tel. [phone], Fax [phone], [email protected], http://www.mammut.ch