Leading alpinist Ueli Steck recently linked three classic Swiss mountains in under 15 hours by climbing to the summit and flying his paraglider as close as possible to the start of the next climb.

Ueli Steck with his paraglider. Copyright www.markus-zimmermann.com

“It was a cool trip, just pack a backpack and go for a ride,” said Steck. “That’s what I liked the most. There were no deposits or any support on the trip, just a nice lunch in the mountain hut. The combination of flying and climbing was just perfect. I had a great day.”

Ueli's grand day out. Courtesy Mountain Hardwear

On Aug. 18, Steck started climbing the Jungfrau at 3 a.m. via the Rotal Ridge. From just below the summit, he flew his paraglider to the base of the Mönch North Face. He thensoloed the Lauper Route to the summit of the Mönch and then flew to the Eismeer Glacier on the south side of the Eiger. After a hike to the Mittelegi Hut for some lunch and a climb up the Mittelegi Ridge, Steck was on top of the Eiger at 3:13 p.m. Steck finished the trip by hiking down from the summit to the Geneva Spur, from which he few down to the Lauterbrunnen Valley and was back to his car by 5 p.m., leaving plenty of time for dinner.

Ueli's kit including the SummitRocket 40 rucksac, the Hydra Pro Glove and the Desna Hoody Copyright Ueli Steck.

Ueli's kit including the SummitRocket 40 rucksac, the Hydra Pro Glove and the Desna Hoody Copyright Ueli Steck.

Read more of the story and see photos on Ueli Steck’s website and the Mountain Hardwear Facebook page.