Hinterstoisser Traverse
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The JC gets all figurative
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A famously difficult traverse, just under the Rote Flüh, on the north face of the Eiger,named after German climber Andreas Hinterstoisser who, in 1936, formed part of a four-man team making the second attempt to scale the north face. During the early stages of the climb Hinterstoisser brilliantly traversed a slab of icy rock until then considered uncrossable, by climbing up on it and lowering himself to execute a pendulum to the other side, securing a rope and enabling his companions to cross the impassable section. The traverse, which became known as the Hinterstoisser Traverse, made the rest of the attempt on the Eiger possible.
There still being the best part of a vertical mile to go, the group removed the fixed ropes they had installed on this pitch and carried on. Later, the group ran into bad weather, and when Willy Angerer was struck on the head by rockfall, the group began their retreat, but found they could not recross the traverse to safety because the it was impossible to reaffix the rope they had used earlier to get across. This was to prove fatal. while trying to abseil over the traverse the group were caught in an Avalanche and — well you can read the rest in Heinrich Harrer’s magnificent book Die Weisse Spinne.
For our earthbound, timid purposes an excellent metaphor.