Sasha DiGiulian on record-breaking "murder wall" climb
A college student is in the record books after becoming the first woman to tackle one of the world's toughest climbs, reports CBS News correspondent Vinita Nair.
Sasha DiGiulian free climbed the north face of Eiger Mountain in the Swiss alps.
The 6,000 foot vertical sheet of grey limestone is considered so deadly and dangerous, it's nicknamed "murder wall," but that had nothing on DiGiulian.
"Well it didn't murder me," she said Monday on "CBS This Morning."
Just days before starting her senior year at Columbia University, DiGulian reached the summit with fellow American Carlo Traversi.
"Honestly, it was the most physically and mentally exhausted I've ever been and probably my proudest achievement in my career yet," she said.
For three days, the pair battled snow and ice and slept on the edge of a cliff.
CBS News first spoke to DiGulian earlier this month from her makeshift bed.
"When you're alpine climbing you're dealing with factors like unanticipated weather, which means storms can roll through. It's really full on. You're facing like 12-18 hour days," she said.
The 22-year-old began climbing when she was just 6 years old, winning three national rock climbing championships and was female overall world champion. Still, some said the Eiger mountain isn't for little girls to climb.
"That's definitely a motivating factor, yeah, is to be told you can't do something and to just think about 'Well, I want to believe that I can do whatever is that I decide that I want to do,'" she said.
She and Traversi spent weeks making multiple attempts on the wall before conditions allowed for their final and historic push to the top.