Lukas Waldner

First Ascent of Kimshung (6781m) Langtang, Himalaya, Nepal Over the past 10 years, there have been quite a few attempts to climb Kimshung — but it remained unclimbed. Too many challenges, too many unknowns. Last week on October 20th, 2025, @benjamin_zoerer and I teamed up with @francoiscazzanelli and @bepividoni for a fast and light summit push from the Kimshung Glacier at 5450m after coming up from the valley the day before. Around midday, we four stood on the top of Kimshung. A huge dream fulfilled: to make the first ascent of a high, technical, and long-unclimbed 6000er in Nepal. Climbing up there felt incredible - Chamonix-style plastic snow gullies meeting steep exposed snow pitches - framed by Himalayan giants on every horizon (photo 1: Shishapangma’s South Face). And the day was as good as it gets: full sun and not a breath of wind. “Destiny” 1300m, TD, M5, AI4 This climb definitely ranks among the biggest highlights of our alpine careers. More to come in the next few weeks. 📸 @demiangoaway @benjamin_zoerer @millet_mountain @petzl_official #MILLET #TRILOGY #petzl #himalayas #langtang #expedition #alpinism #alpinestyle

Matterhorn North Face „Bonatti“ route in a day on December 30th with @philippbrugger . The Bonatti Route on the Matterhorn North Face is one of those climbs everyone knows - a line steeped in history, and climbing it someday is a big thing. First ascended solo in winter by Walter Bonatti over four days in 1965, it’s rarely repeated and probably almost never climbed in a single day during proper winter time. Philipp and I had talked about it a lot, and conditions looked promising this autumn. We wanted to wait for midwinter, especially since Philipp had undergone two major surgeries in January and October. At the end of December, a weather window opened, and we decided to go for it. The days are at their shortest this time of year, and it demands total commitment - but that’s exactly what makes winter so exciting. On December 30th, we left the Hörnli Hut and started climbing at 6:15 AM. The first meters are pretty steep right away, and the rock is quite loose and tricky to protect. After that, the terrain is easier and you reach the well-known sections: the Angels Traverse and the slightly overhanging crack (that marks the crux). Once you’re through there, you’ve covered about half the face, and it eases off a bit. There are still some pitches to go, but thanks to the decent ice conditions, they’re not as technically demanding. At this point, it’s more about staying fast and efficient; you’ll definitely feel it in your calves. After joining the Schmid Route there are still a few hundred meters to go, but it becomes easier. We kept a steady pace and topped out on the summit of the Matterhorn at 2:30 PM, a little bit more than 8 hours after we started climbing. Guess not to bad for the Bonatti in Winter as it was one of the fastest ascents. The descent along the Hörnli Ridge was, as usual, a bit tedious, but we made it safely down from that iconic pyramid the same day. Climbing this route in the midst of winter in a single day was great adventure and definitely ranks as one of the most amazing days I’ve had in the Alps. @millet_mountain #MILLET #TRILOGY #matterhorn #northface #bonatti #cervino #zermatt #alpinism #winter #alpineclimbing

Eiger North Face “Heckmair Route” (4h 50min) – and from Innsbruck & back in a single day! This winter, @benjamin_zoerer and I had the idea to climb the Eiger North Face via the Heckmair Route as a day trip from Innsbruck. The plan was: drive five hours from Innsbruck to Grindelwald, take the cable car up, climb the 1,800m face, descend to Grindelwald, and head back home. Conditions looked okay at the moment, so we decided to go for it on Sunday, April 6th (yesterday). The drive to Grindelwald went smoothly, and we caught the first gondola at 8:00 AM to Eigergletscher. By about 9:00 AM, we started up the route. Our goal was to move efficiently without feeling rushed - just enjoy a nice day out. We knew as well there were about 7 or 8 other teams on the route. Once on the face, we made great progress and felt well-coordinated, never really pushing too hard. We took 3 short breaks or waited briefly behind other climbers (thanks for letting us pass so smoothly!). It was an amazing experience to climb with such ease on such a massive face (& enjoy it). After the Quartz Crack, I noticed we’d only been on the route for just over four hours, which made me think we might actually finish in under five hours. Sure enough, we reached the summit in 4 hours 50 minutes - a pretty crazy feeling to climb the Eiger North Face in under five hours without even planning on it! We hadn’t set out to chase a specific time, so to reach the summit under that probably magical five-hour mark quite “relaxed” and stress-free as a team was a big surprise - definitely more than we ever expected when we left home that morning. I think it’s definitely one of the fastest team ascents on this face, but it seems like you could easily shave off some more time if you knew every pitch, don’t have to overtake anyone, and really go fast with a plan. An incredible day that reminded me again how fun it can be to move with ease through such a legendary face in the Alps. That’s how times change, we probably never thought we would climb the Eiger North Face in under 5 hours. @millet_mountain #MILLET #TRILOGY #Eiger #northface #eigernorthface #heckmair #grindelwald #alpinism #climbing #fastandlight

Retired the skis (for now)… after 130+ days chasing winter. #puravida con la banda 🪩🕺🃏 #arcteryx #petzl #evileyeeyewear #mc2alpin @arcteryxdach @arcteryx @evileye.eyewear @petzl_official @mc2alpin @coros_dach

Exiting the Bumiller Pillar surrendered by seracs during the first winter trilogy of all three Piz Palü north pillars in a day with @philippbrugger . @millet_mountain @boafitsystem @petzl_official @evileye.eyewear @coros_dach #MILLET #TRILOGY #pizpalü #northface #alpinism

Fast and technical alpine missions demand more than strength - they demand precision, control and trust in every moment. On Piz Palü, @philippbrugger and @lukaswaldner07 delivered the first winter ascent of the East, Bumiller and Spinas Pillar. Dialed In until the last step. Watch the full adventure at the link from our bio #GetDialedIn

First Winter Ascent: Three North Pillars Piz Palü Philipp Brugger and Lukas Waldner Dialed In from start to summit. Full story coming soon. #BOAFitSystem #GetDialedIn #Alpinism

Lukas Waldner & Philipp Brugger complete the first winter triology of all three Piz Palü north face pillars in a sensational time - the Bumiller Pillar, the East Pillar, and the Spinas Pillar - see image 5 @sportgramshammer #pizpalü #nordwand #alpin

First Winter Trilogy of the three north pillars on Piz Palü in a single day 1 iconic mountain. 3 north pillars. 8 hours 59 minutes. On March 8, @philippbrugger and I linked all three pillars in Piz Palü’s north face: Bumiller Pillar (900m, V+, M6), East Pillar (600m, V, M5) and Spinas Pillar (700m, M3). 06:30 base of the Bumiller, 15:29 summit of Piz Spinas. 2,200 vertical meters of climbing, all descents on foot via the normal route. Piz Palü. Three pillars perfectly lined up in one north face. They’ve been combined in summer, but never in winter. Standing on top of the last pillar and looking back at all three lines — hard to believe what just happened. One of the most aesthetic projects we’ve done. What once felt like a surreal idea finally became reality. More to come soon. 📸 @the_bird_view @millet_mountain @boafitsystem @petzl_official @julbo_eyewear @evileye.eyewear @coros_dach @lenz_products @alpen.power #MILLET #TRILOGY #BOA #pizpalü #northface

“The pillars line up perfectly. It was a purely aesthetic project, and one that had never been completed in winter.” Philipp Brugger Austrian alpinists @philippbrugger and @lukaswaldner07 completed a remarkable new achievement in the Swiss Alps: the first winter ascent of the three North Pillars of Piz Palü (East, Bumiller and Spinas) in a single day. The pair linked the routes in 8 hours and 59 minutes, measuring from the first moves on the Bumiller Pillar to the exit of the Spinas Pillar. A bold line carried out on a perfect winter day—fast, light, and efficient. A new chapter in modern alpinism. Congratulations to Philipp and Lukas on this massive mountaineering. #GetDialedIn #PizPalü 📷 @mariokaeppeli

Spring skimo loops right above the doorstep. Karwendel delivering perfect conditions — steep couloirs and ridges on the way up, excellent firn on the way down. Doesn’t get much better than this! @millet_mountain @petzl_official @evileye.eyewear @coros_dach #MILLET #TRILOGY #skimo #innsbruck #karwendel

𝘌𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘒ö𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘴𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘻𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘴: 𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘴𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘻𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘤𝘩. 𝘋𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘡ö𝘳𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘮 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘶𝘧𝘨𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘴𝘦𝘯. 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘶𝘧-𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘣 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘩𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘢𝘴 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘳ü𝘩𝘮𝘵-𝘣𝘦𝘳ü𝘤𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘙ü𝘣𝘦𝘻𝘢𝘩𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘒𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘪 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘵 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘮 𝘗𝘪𝘵𝘻𝘵𝘢𝘭. 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘥 230 𝘛𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘯𝘧ä𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘴 𝘻𝘶𝘮 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪 𝘬𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘻𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯. ▶️ Jetzt streamen bei Bergauf-Bergab in der ARD Mediathek: Eisklettern – Von der Taschachschlucht ins wilde Eis. Autorin: Elena Blume Kamera: @valentinrappfilm @julianbueckers Ton & Assistenz: @berg_und_bild @pilzlukas @fabian_hagenauer 📸 BR/Thomas März @arcteryx @arcteryxdach @petzl_official @evileye.eyewear @mc2alpin #arcteryx #AccessTheInaccessible #petzl #evileyeeyewear #mc2alpin