We came here because we had to. Circumstance brought us close — Steve was in Spain, and I had been commissioned to shoot photos of a ski traverse of the Swiss Alps. And if you’re a climber, the Eiger carries a magnetism that is impossible to ignore. We were in its vicinity and drawn to its flame. Eigernordwand is the historic embodiment of the “longing for the eternal adventure.” We are fortunate pilgrims at its feet.

We also want to climb it before it rots away. Global warming is causing the face and some of its main features to crumble, making the notoriously dangerous wall even more treacherous. Dense storms sneak up on the mountain without warning, leaving everything coated in rime. But the main objective hazards today are stonefall and loose rock.

Ice that has bonded the rock together is quickly melting. This is one reason we’ve decided to climb it in winter conditions, but the changing face of the Eiger is still obvious. (We aren’t planning on dying on the wall. After surviving an avalanche two months earlier on Anvil Mountain, in southern Colorado, I’m over dying.) Steve and his wife, Catherine, had a son less than a year ago. He’s fired up to come back in one piece, too. So we check in with the Swiss Mountain Rescue about conditions. As we enter the spotless office within the town’s official Sports Facility, a one-eyed man, clearly a climber, greets us. Should we try it? we politely ask him.