Local Legends: No pressure. No podium. Just Franziska Schönbächler and the ice.
You’d think a frozen couloir would be the last place to feel calm. But for Franziska Schönbächler, it’s the only place that makes sense. No noise. No pressure. Just the sound of her ice tools, the cold in her lungs, and the quiet reminder that she’s doing this for no one but herself. She’s still in the competition world - where every move is judged, every result matters, and the pressure to deliver never really lets up. Even at her best, she wondered: Was I climbing for me, or for everyone else?
“With all humans in mountains, you are so much more yourself.” Franziska Schönbächler
Athlete: Franziska Schönbächler
Place: Grindelwald, Switzerland
Project/Route: Chouia Couloir close to Jungfraujoch
What Local Legends Wear
Worn by the climbers in the film series, the Eiger Extreme 6.0 collection is made for those who feel most alive in the wildest places — and closest to home on ice.
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Local Legends: A film series about feeling at home on ice
For some, home is linked to a cup of tea and a good book. For others, it’s hanging in a couloir on an ice tool, balancing on two little front points. In this film series, four professional alpinists invite us to understand why being in wild extreme environments makes them feel at ease – all while projecting their climbing routes close to their home.
