Ueli Steck is a "speed climber," preferring light and rapid solo ascensions of some of the most extreme mountaineering routes. Previous records on the other 2 north faces in the Alps include the Heckmaier route on the north face of the Eiger in 2 hours 47 minutes in 2008 (beating his own 2007 record of 3 hours and 54 minutes) and 25 hours for the Walter Bonatti route on the North face of the Matterhorn. Walter Bonatti took 5 days for the route in 1965 and Catherine Destivelle soloed it in 3 days in 1990. December 28th 2008, Ueli Steck climbed the MacIntyre goulotte, a 1100m ice route which normally takes highly experienced climbers 2 days, in the record time of 2 hours and 21 minutes, a time that would be unbelievable if it weren't for Steck's previous performances, equally extraordinary. The previous record of the same route was a little under 4 hours. Steck picked the MacIntyre goulotte because it is mainly in ice, which is especially good for his style of solo speed climbing. There is a tricky section on thin ice and rock, which he had to drytool since he could not remove his gloves due to frigid temperatures. Despite the cold, Ueli Steck said that the ice was in great condition and not too hard (consistency that it, the route is one of the most difficult in the Alps with sections of 90 degrees).
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