I had just come over the shoulder of the lower part of the north ridge
of the Eiger and I was relieved to see the mountain hut in a small valley
about a hundred feet below me. It was beginning to get dark and the snow
was starting to fall again so it was really time to find shelter for the
night. As I made my way across the snow to the hut I could see a faint
yellow light in the window so I should have company. I shook the snow from
my boots, pushed open the door and …