Dani Arnold (* February 22 1984 in the Canton of Uri)^[1] is a Swiss extreme mountaineer.

Dani Arnold grew up in the Canton of Uri and developed a passion for mountaineering at an early age. He first completed training as a mechanical engineer and then as a mountain guide. He quickly specialized in solo climbing and extremely fast ascents of major walls. In addition to his solo projects, he also works as a professional alpinist for various sponsors and gives lectures about his expeditions.

Dani Arnold is a mountain guide, married, father of a daughter, and lives in Bürglen.^[2]

Dani Arnold holds or has held several speed records on the six great north faces of the Alps:

• Eiger North Face (2011) – New record with 2 hours 28 minutes via the Heckmair route, breaking Ueli Steck's best time.^[3][4]
• Matterhorn North Face (2015) – Fastest ascent via the Schmid route in 1 hour 46 minutes.^[5][6]
• Grandes Jorasses (2018) – New speed record via the Walker Spur route in 2 hours 4 minutes.^[7][8][9]
• Cima Grande di Lavaredo (2019) – New record for the "Comici-Dimai" route with 46 minutes 30 seconds.^[10][11]
• Piz Badile (2020) – Solo ascent of the north face via the classic Cassin route in 52 minutes.^[12][13]
• Petit Dru (2021) – Fastest ascent of the north face via the classic route in 1 hour 43 minutes.^[14][15]

This means he holds records on five of the six great north faces of the Alps.

• The Hurting (XI, 11) (2012) – Mixed route on Ben Nevis with high "ground fall" potential.^[16]
• Crack Baby Speed Record (2014) – Crack Baby 360m WI6 in 27 min 13 sec.
• First repeat of "Anubis" (XII, 12) in Scotland (2016) – First repeat of the mixed route "Anubis" on Ben Nevis, then the hardest mixed route in the UK.^[17]
• Free solo ascent of Beta Block Super WI7 in 1h 03min (2017) – First and only free solo ascent of the ice route Beta Block Super on Breitwangfluh.^[18]
• Ritter der Kokosnuss M12 (2017) – Mixed climbing of the "Ritter der Kokosnuss" M12 route on Breitwangfluh.^[19]
• First ascent "Schweizernase" on the Matterhorn North Face (2017)^[20]
• First ascent Uristier (WI6+/M8) Schöllenen (2019)^[21]
• Salbitschijen Solo Speed Record (2023) – New record with 9 hours, 36 minutes, and 55 seconds for West, South, and East ridges.^[22]

Besides his records in the Alps, Dani Arnold has undertaken numerous expeditions and first ascents. Notable achievements include:

• Patagonia (2010) – First winter ascent of Torre Egger.^[23]
• Patagonia (2013) – Cerro Torre in winter – Successful winter ascent.^[24]
• Alaska (2016) – First ascent of "Bird of Prey" in the Mooses Tooth Towers.^[25]
• Canada (2019) – Power Shrimps Helmcken Falls – First ascent of the extreme ice route at the 140m high Helmcken Falls.^[26][27]
• Pakistan (2019) – Broad Peak 8051m – Expedition to the 8051m high Broad Peak.^[28]
• Russia (2020) – Expedition to Lake Baikal in winter – 10 first ascents between WI5 and M8 over the frozen Lake Baikal.^[29]
• Iceland (2022) – Ice expedition – Ice and mixed climbing in Iceland.^[30]

He is known for his fast and minimalist style, often under extremely demanding conditions.

• Paul-Preuss-Award 2024^[31]

• Matthias Affolter: Berge im Kopf. (in German) Film, 2014, 93 min.^[32]
• Netflix: Race to the Summit Film, 2023, 90 min.^[33]
• NDR: Climber Dani Arnold – Free Solo Records on the North Faces. Documentary (in German), 2024, 30 min.^[34]

• Why All This? Records & Reflections by Extreme Alpinist Dani Arnold. 2018.
• 9:39 North – Solo through the Great North Faces of the Alps. (in German) Uli Auffermann & Dani Arnold 2022.
• HOW not WHAT – Reflections by Dani Arnold 2023.^[35]
• Anti Gravity – Thomas Monsorno & Dani Arnold 2024.

His achievements have also been extensively covered in magazines like Alpin, Bergsteiger, and National Geographic.

Lectures are an essential part of Dani Arnold's work as a professional alpinist. Notable lectures include:

• TEDx Talks (2025): Dani Arnold: Why challenge is my ultimate goal^[36]
• Dani Arnold at WEF (World Economic Forum) (2023)^[37]

• Official Website
• "New Record for Speed Alpinist Dani Arnold" (in German).
• Official Instagram Profile
• "Official Facebook Profile".