Throughout the climb, the four men were constantly threatened by snow avalanches and rock falls. They were caught in an avalanche as they climbed the White Spider on the upper face, but all possessed sufficient strength to resist being swept off the face. The members successfully reached the summit at four o'clock in the afternoon 24 July 1938. This first ascent of the Eiger North Face was described by Italian climber Reinhold Messner as a glorious moment in the history of mountaineering and a great sensation, since several climbers had previously perished on the Face, made headlines around the world, and is recounted in Harrer's book The White Spider, published in 1959.