Out of the Shadows, Into the Sun 1988

The first filmed ascent of the Eiger

Directed by Leo Dickinson

Leo Dickinson’s first ever film records the actual ascent of the Eiger North Face in 1970 by Eric Jones, Cliff Phillips, Peter Minks and Dickinson, who carried two 16mm cine cameras and 5000ft of film to document the ascent. On an early attempt Cliff Phillips slipped on a steep icy slope and fell 200 feet. Either by chance or perhaps intuition, Leo had his camera running and filmed the fall. After two thwarted attempts and six weeks of waiting, fine weather arrived and the team finally started their final ascent. Dickinson remastered and re-edited the film in 2010.